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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23366401">LOVESICK</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/P5soleilnoir/pseuds/P5soleilnoir'>P5soleilnoir</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Persona 5, Persona Series</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Captivity, Darkfic, Gen, Goro will be kept safe and he will like it, Kidnapping, M/M, Non-Consensual, Stalker Ren, or so Ren would say..., p5soleilnoir</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 11:48:07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>36,389</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23366401</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/P5soleilnoir/pseuds/P5soleilnoir</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The Phantom Thieves become rather unnerved when their ninth member doesn't attend their meetings or even answer his phone anymore, let alone appear in public. Not that they care about him, of course – but it seems rather odd, for more reasons than just one, that Akechi would suddenly vanish without a trace. Ren, for his part, is carefree as ever, as though not worried at all.</p><p>After all, Ren knows full well that Akechi is perfectly safe. And he certainly intends to keep it that way... whether Akechi wants it or not.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Akechi Goro &amp; Amamiya Ren, Akechi Goro &amp; Kurusu Akira, Akechi Goro &amp; Persona 5 Protagonist, Akechi Goro/Amamiya Ren, Akechi Goro/Kurusu Akira, Akechi Goro/Persona 5 Protagonist</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>277</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>446</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Love 1 - SURPRISE</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This fic was written months ago for a friend who enjoys Ren being a stalker to Goro. I felt inspired and wrote this as an experiment, and I'm now posting it because I felt bad about neglecting my AO3 account so much lol. This chapter is more light-hearted than it might seem at first glance, almost goofy in some parts (thanks Ren), although this is still technically a darkfic. </p><p>Okay I'm gonna drop this here now and go away very fast hehe</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Dude, this rain’s not lettin’ up at all…”</p><p>There was a distinct aura of carefree bliss hanging in the air of Shibuya’s game corner, the one that usually characterized youth best. All around, children and teens of all ages were gathered in small packs, their marveled eyes glued to the hundreds of screens brightening the place up like colorful beacons across an otherwise dim-lit room. Even several salarymen could be found here and there, wasting away the last of their change against a newer generation that had long surpassed them. They were evidently spending time here to relax after what had to be a tedious day of work, but judging from the rising vein to their temples, Amamiya Ren thought his definition of relaxing might not exactly match theirs.<br/>
<br/>
“The forecast did say it would rain all afternoon. I don’t know why you’re acting so surprised, Ryuji.”<br/>
<br/>
Huddling around the fighting games, there was one group that didn’t seem to share the general enthusiasm around. They all either sat or stood close to one another, each face and manner wearing a varying but noticeable degree of weariness.<br/>
<br/>
“Hey, can you blame me for wantin’ to get some fresh air?” Ryuji shot back to a sighing Makoto. “I’m bored outta my mind here… And those games are all the same after a while.”<br/>
<br/>
Ren couldn’t help a gulp. It had been his suggestion to bring the entire group to the arcade to take their minds off things at least for the space of an afternoon, but he soon had to face the facts: his plan fell flat. Not that Ren could blame his friends for being so forlorn, seeing as the circumstances surrounding the Phantom Thieves of Hearts in that moment were less than cheerful; when the most elite of Japan’s police force was on their case and go to any length necessary to have their heads on a platter, it wasn’t exactly easy to even pretend to be happy-go-lucky.<br/>
<br/>
“If you’re that bored, you can come to my house,” Ann suggested, grinning. Ryuji snapped his head onto her.<br/>
<br/>
“To your house? Uh, what for?” he asked, with the air of someone who wanted to act nonchalant only to fail spectacularly. “I-I mean, not that I don’t wanna but it’d be, uh, the first time I’d go to a girl’s house, so…”<br/>
<br/>
“Aww, no need to be shy. I need all the help I can get to sort out my old clothes and make room for the new ones. Maybe I should’ve done that before replacing my entire wardrobe, come to think of it…”<br/>
<br/>
“…Of freakin’ course,” Ryuji muttered, looking very much like a deflated soccer ball all of a sudden. “Sorry, gonna pass. Tidyin’ up isn’t my thing.”<br/>
<br/>
“From what I’ve seen of Ryuji’s bedroom last time I visited, I can vouch for this,” Yusuke chimed in matter-of-factly, prompting an offended “Dude!” which he seemed to be entirely oblivious to.<br/>
<br/>
"Anyway,” Ryuji went on after shooting Yusuke one last annoyed glare, “since the ‘gettin’ some fresh air’ idea is outta the window thanks to this stupid rain… Can I come chill at your place, leader? I can bring some manga, I’ve got them pilin’ up and they're gettin' all dusty—”<br/>
<br/>
“Sorry, Ryuji, no can do,” Ren replied at once, much to Ryuji’s confusion. “Sakura-san really insisted that I didn’t bring anyone over while he’s on that trip. I’d rather not take the risk.”<br/>
<br/>
“Huh, Sojiro asked you that? I had no idea,” Futaba piped in, round eyes meeting Ren’s unfazed one. “I don’t see why it’s suddenly a big deal that you bring someone to Leblanc—especially since he usually lets you do whatever so long as you don’t make a mess. He can really be a nag sometimes.”<br/>
<br/>
Ren merely shrugged in response.<br/>
<br/>
“Perhaps we could unwind in Mementos?” Haru suggested, looking at Ryuji through a sympathetic gaze. “Or Niijima-san’s Palace, I suppose, but since we’ve already secured a route to her treasure, we might not want to return there for the time being…”<br/>
<br/>
“Ugh, no thanks,” Ryuji shot at once. “The less I see Akechi’s smug-lookin’ face the better. Of course, if you wanna ditch him…”<br/>
<br/>
“You know we can’t do that,” Makoto said in a disapproving tone, almost like a mother scolding her unruly child. “He’d get suspicious if we went to the other world without telling him. And even if he doesn’t find out, keeping even more secrets from him is a sure way to slip up sooner or later. It’s hard enough to keep up the act as it is.”<br/>
<br/>
“I suppose you must be quite in high spirits then, Ryuji,” Yusuke interjected, watching the flashing screens around with great interest as if he could draw some inspiration from them. Noticing Ryuji’s confused look, he elaborated, “Akechi hasn’t been heard of at all recently.”<br/>
<br/>
Ren slid his glasses back up. They caught a flare of light for a split second before it vanished again.<br/>
<br/>
“Now that you mention it, you’re right,” Ann agreed, bringing a finger to her cheek in thought. “He hasn’t written in the group chat either.”<br/>
<br/>
A chorus of “True,” “He really hasn’t,” and “I wonder what’s up” followed. Regardless of the Phantom Thieves’ less than flattering stances on Akechi, his sudden silence was definitely an oddity, what with how uncharacteristic of him it was.<br/>
<br/>
“I suppose he might be busy, but it definitely is strange that he hasn’t at least responded to our messages,” Makoto said, her absent petting of Morgana a clear indication she was deeply in thought. “As much as I don’t fancy the idea, I wonder if we shouldn’t pay him a visit at his apartment.”<br/>
<br/>
This suggestion wasn’t exactly suggested with roaring enthusiasm to put it lightly, especially on Ryuji and Futaba’s parts if their grimaces were anything to go by.<br/>
<br/>
“If you think I care how this two-faced hypocritical bastard’s doin’, you got another thing—”<br/>
<br/>
“I didn’t say anything about asking how he’s doing,” she cut off wearily. “More like finding out what he’s up to… Keeping tabs on him, if you will. For our own purpose.”<br/>
<br/>
“No need to do that,” Ren spoke up at last, even as Morgana made to do so as well. “Sorry, forgot to let you know—Akechi told me the other day he was buried in work at the police station and might not be reachable for a while. He apologized, by the way.”<br/>
<br/>
“He did? I see…” Haru replied quietly, and Morgana jumped on the nearest gaming dashboard and scratched his ear with his front paw.<br/>
<br/>
“Well, guess that settles it. Though depending on how long Akechi’s busy, we may have no choice but to drag him with us to Mementos at some point. We’ll need to go there eventually for more training and of course, we can’t leave him out.”<br/>
<br/>
With this, the topic quickly drifted to pointless small talk punctuated by long yawns and weary sighs. Ren glanced at the window panes leading outside, upon which the rain pounded in earnest. The entire street was plunged in a gloomy gray, speckled here and there by the moving silhouettes of passersby as they went on their way. One of them carried a large Big Bang Burger takeout bag. Ren’s gaze followed it until it was out of sight, and he promptly straightened up.<br/>
<br/>
“I should go back to Leblanc soon. Sakura-san made me promise to clean every nook and cranny. I’d rather get this over with as soon as possible, or else I might not hear the end of it.”<br/>
<br/>
“Oh, is that so?” Haru responded, clapping her hands together. “Would you like some help—”<br/>
<br/>
“I appreciate the offer, but I can handle it myself,” Ren responded with a pleasant smile, causing her to blink a couple of times. “Besides, like I said—Sakura-san told me not to bring anyone to Leblanc while he’s away. I think he really wants the shop to be completely spotless when he comes back.”<br/>
<br/>
“Ugh, stupid Sojiro. What does he think will happen?” Futaba grumbled, her pouty face resting atop her crossed arms. “I mean, he already had Leblanc closed down for the customers until he returns from his trip, what more does he want?”<br/>
<br/>
“Beats me,” Ren said unhelpfully. A short silence went by before Futaba spoke again.<br/>
<br/>
“Well, if you say you’ll really be OK on your own… By the way, that reminds me—Mona, you can go back to Leblanc starting tonight. I can totally handle myself fine now!”<br/>
<br/>
“Are you sure?” Morgana asked, lifting big, blue, round eyes at her. “Ren did say it’d be better if I stayed with you as long as Boss was away. I don’t know if it’s a good idea to leave you alone—”<br/>
<br/>
“Morgana’s right, Futaba,” Ren stepped in as Futaba parted her lips, beating her to the punch. “I still believe we’d all feel more at ease if we knew you had Morgana by your side the entire time Sakura-san is away. Trust me on this.”<br/>
<br/>
For a moment, Futaba seemed to teeter on the edge of arguing, apparently offended Ren had so little faith in her – only to droop her shoulders in defeat. Clearly, she figured he knew better.</p><p>“If you say so…” she muttered, looking a bit dejected. “Oh well, how about one last game before you—hey, wait!” </p><p>But Ren was already standing up, gathering his belongings and waving a brief goodbye to his fellow thieves before disappearing away, the chime of the automatic doors sounding in his wake. A brief, awkward silence passed by.</p><p>“Sheesh, talk about being in a hurry,” Ann said as they all stared at the exit in slight bemusement. </p><p>“He did say he should leave soon, but…” Yusuke added, a small frown on his face. Ryuji’s expression matched his somewhat.<br/>
<br/>
“Is it me or… was he acting kinda weird to you?”<br/>
<br/>
The Phantom Thieves exchanged glances. Their puzzlement was unanimous.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
Ren, meanwhile, was impatiently tapping his foot upon the floor as the line inside Big Bang Burger didn’t budge an inch. He didn’t mind waiting most of the time, but today was an exception – rarely did he curse his extraordinary ability to constantly pick the slowest line than in that very moment. It felt like one hour ticked by before he finally reached the counter, much to his frustration.<br/>
<br/>
“A Cosmic Burger menu with fries, mineral water, and fresh fruit,” the cashier recited, reviewing her screen. “For here, or to go?”<br/>
<br/>
“To go,” Ren replied at once as he reached for his wallet. “By the way, about the Solar System Ice Cream…”<br/>
<br/>
“Ah, it’s one of our newest desserts! It’s a vanilla-flavored ice cream topped with multicolored blondie brownie bites, nuts, and salted caramel sauce. The Solar System is the medium version, while the Super Solar System is the large size, meant for two people. Would you like it added to your order, sir?”<br/>
<br/>
“…Yes, please,” Ren said after a moment of consideration. “Make it the Super Solar System.”<br/>
<br/>
Twenty minutes later (twenty minutes too long in his opinion), Ren was arriving at Leblanc, his Big Bang Burger bag swaying by his side. The deserted coffee shop greeted him beyond the door, silent and pristine with not a single item in disarray and a speck of dust to be seen – it was like the place was opened just yesterday.</p><p>After making sure to lock the door behind him, Ren scuttled up the stairs, and felt the familiar bliss tug at his lips the moment he saw the attic.</p><p>Akechi Goro really was beautiful. </p><p>His gorgeous maroon eyes, so unique and deep, so deep Ren could feel himself fall into them each time he gazed. His soft, shiny hair, perfect little curls grazing his shoulders and asking for fingers to get tangled in them. His irresistible lips, captivating, capturing Ren's eyes whenever they parted or not, speaking words he could get drunk off from. Alluring features like his Adam's apple peeking from his collar, beautiful and well-maintained hands that looked so delicate Ren simply wanted to hold and kiss them, and that smile, that smile that made him grow weak, that smile so beaming and radiant it gave the sun itself a run for its money, that smile Ren could contemplate forever and it still wouldn't be enough.</p><p>He was like a masterpiece, a perfection so grand it seemed inconceivable that it actually was gracing the Earth with its divine presence. A perfection blessing the entire world… a perfection blessing Amamiya Ren.</p><p>From every corner in the room, thousands of Akechi Goros responded to Ren's slight flush and little grin with a smile of their own.</p><p>There wasn't a single spot around that wasn't covered with a picture of him. The walls, the ceiling, the furniture, every single square inch sported his portrait, be it torn off from various magazines or discreetly taken during one of Ren's numerous stakeouts. Of course, the floor was left untouched; he would rather die than step on Akechi's marvelous features. No matter where he looked, Ren could never make up his mind on which picture was his favorite. He simply loved them all, from the fashion interview he cut off where Akechi modeled for a gorgeous brand of suits to those pictures he took in secret of Akechi wiping some chocolate off his mouth while enjoying some fancy-looking cake. That one was particularly adorable, Ren thought as he felt his flush rising, but it had serious contenders – he especially enjoyed the large poster of Akechi he taped to the ceiling amidst hundreds of smaller pictures of him. It was the first thing he saw each morning upon opening his eyes, and it never failed to send a little flutter to his heart that preceded the promise of a wonderful day. Ren looked forward to it every single evening, knowing an enchanting sight would wish him good morning in a few hours.</p><p>Ren gave a long, enamored sigh. In any other circumstances, he would have simply sat down on the floor and contemplated the walls in pure, dumbstruck bliss. This time, however, he wouldn't need to do that – not when he had something much, much better.</p><p>“Honey, I'm home. I brought you a surprise: takeout!” </p><p>Ren couldn't help but roll his eyes at Akechi's disappointing answer. He didn't even reward him with one of those breathtaking smiles of his. Then again, being gagged and bound to a chair probably did make it somewhat tricky for him to smile or welcome him with open arms, but Ren would have preferred a feeble attempt to this furious glare Akechi shot him, as if trying to burn a hole into his face. </p><p>Ren sighed, torn between endearment and weariness. Akechi could truly be difficult at times. But Ren would be lying if he said that didn't make him love Akechi even more.<br/>
<br/>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Love 2 - PHONE CALL</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Please don't forget this story is a darkfic! All disturbing elements are meant to be just that: disturbing!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Come on, say Ahhh~”<br/>
<br/>
“Like hell I will, you—mmpfhh?!”<br/>
<br/>
Ren couldn’t remember the last time he felt so blissful.<br/>
<br/>
It was a state unlike anything he ever experienced before, more powerful than a monk achieving enlightenment, more magical than mankind setting foot on the moon, more overwhelming than a traveler discovering the wonders of the world. He loved this emotion, fresh and invigorating, so vivid he could physically taste it.<br/>
<br/>
He was the happiest man on Earth. And this attic, the place where there wasn’t one but thousands of suns on each wall glowing a bright warmth upon his world, was the heaven on it.<br/>
<br/>
“Stop that—”<br/>
<br/>
“Come on, Akechi, don't be so difficult. I can't let you go hungry, you know?”<br/>
<br/>
Even Akechi’s stubbornness did nothing to put a damper on his sky-high spirits. If anything, it sent them soaring: never once did he entertain the image of a petulant, foul-mouthed Akechi, but he didn’t take long to be fully converted to the idea. He couldn’t pretend he hadn’t been taken aback when he witnessed Akechi’s angelic features turn to a ferocious snarl when he first opened his eyes after several days spent unconscious, of course, although he already got used to it – and yearned for more. This was a sight so novel, so unexpected, all Ren could do was feel intense captivation, like one would upon discovering a new, unknown species.<br/>
<br/>
As enamored as he was with the pleasant, prim and proper Akechi, this one was nothing but adorable in his own way: even the way he spat the bite-sized morsels of burger Ren had carefully cut for him was lovable, incredibly endearing even. Although Ren did feel a tinge of concern for Akechi’s health if he kept constantly refusing food.<br/>
<br/>
“Just a little bite,” Ren encouraged while forcing yet another one into Akechi's mouth. Akechi, of course, was about to spit it out once more, but not on Ren's watch: he pressed his hand hard against Akechi's lips, eliciting a very cute and surprised groan.<br/>
<br/>
“Here we go,” he said proudly, sensing Akechi grudgingly chew behind his palm. “See, doesn’t it taste good?”<br/>
<br/>
Swallowing, Akechi threw him one of those glares that could have made the toughest of brutes recoil, but all Ren felt was a chill of excitement run up his spine and back down again.<br/>
<br/>
This Akechi was <em> irresistible. <br/>
<br/>
</em> “Why are you doing this—why are you keeping me—mmmmgh!”<br/>
<br/>
“You need to drink too,” Ren said casually as he shoved the tip of a soda bottle into Akechi’s mouth. “Hydration is important.”<br/>
<br/>
Akechi’s eyes opened wide before he squeezed them shut again, his Adam's apple pulsing with each of his gulps. Ren stared at it, branding the sight into his eyes, feeling enthralled like a magic spell was cast on him. No matter how much he tried, he couldn’t tear his gaze away.<br/>
<br/>
In his contemplation, he didn’t notice some of Akechi’s drink was dripping off his lips in a thin stream, trickling down his jaw. He instantly pulled the bottle back, deaf to Akechi’s coughs and sputters.<br/>
<br/>
“Talk about being a messy eater, Akechi. See, your skin’s all sticky now—there’s smears of sauce and crumbs all over your mouth too.”<br/>
<br/>
Akechi’s face, marked by obvious disbelief one moment before, now sported a look of utter outrage. But just as he was most likely about to yell a flow of insults in his direction, Ren quickly leaned forward and pecked the corners of his lips, removing all lingering traces of food.<br/>
<br/>
“What… What are you doing… Ah…!” Akechi muttered as Ren licked the sugary trail of soda off his neck, unable to prevent himself from peppering it with feathery kisses while he was at it.<br/>
<br/>
“Well, I had to clean it up,” Ren answered absently, more busy enjoying the sweet taste as he ran his tongue over his own lips. Akechi’s skin was so supple and pleasant to touch and feel – exactly like he had always imagined. And the taste of it…<br/>
<br/>
Ren was certain the soda had only little to do with how wonderful it was.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
His cheeks felt warm.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
“You’re—you’re completely insane,” Akechi finally said, speaking like someone who was struggling to recover their speech. “Why are you doing this? And what’s with all those pictures?!”<br/>
<br/>
“You look great in them, huh?” Ren replied eagerly, walking up to the wall on Akechi’s right. “Remember that day? I took it during one of your talk-shows—I attend them all, you know? And this one I took during the athletic event at your school. It was hard climbing up the fence without being seen but so worth it, you look great here in your tracking suit and disheveled hair. Oh, and this one I cut out from a magazine Ann told me about, having you as a one-time model was the greatest idea I’d ever seen—”<br/>
<br/>
Ren was entirely oblivious to how Akechi’s eyes seemed to widen in horror a bit more as he went on his long tirade. He was too engrossed in the delight that were Akechi’s pictures, flooding his senses, bewitching and capturing them. He was in a daze.<br/>
<br/>
“…But to answer your question,” Ren said once he snapped out of it, “well, it’s obvious. This is my shrine—yours.”<br/>
<br/>
“What…? This attic…?”<br/>
<br/>
Ren spread his arms wide, looking like a ringleader welcoming the crowd to his show. His eyes sparkled with an overly enthusiastic glint.<br/>
<br/>
“This isn’t an attic—it’s my Akechi shrine. I had all the pictures for ages, but could only put them up after Sakura-san left for his trip. That’s why everything looked boring and bare when we all gathered here before taking a look at Niijima-san’s Palace. I set the whole thing up in only a day. Pretty amazing, huh?”<br/>
<br/>
‘Pretty amazing’ seemed just about the last expression Akechi would have used, but Ren thought little of it. It was fine if he didn’t understand – his presence alone was all Ren cared about.<br/>
<br/>
Because the real thing was so, so much better than any picture he could dream of.<br/>
<br/>
It was alive, breathing, talking, the skin warm and soft, the voice music to his ears, the hair pure silk on his hands. Something that could actually be touched, heard, even tasted—<br/>
<br/>
Akechi brought him true happiness.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
One he would never, ever, let go of.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
“Get a hold of yourself already,” came Akechi’s distant voice, worming its way into Ren’s entranced mind. “I don’t know what’s gotten into you, but you’re obviously not being yourself. You acted nothing like that when we hung out or inside Sae-san’s Palace—”<br/>
<br/>
“Hm? Dunno what you’re talking about,” Ren replied distractedly as he shoved a spoonful of the Super Solar System ice cream into Akechi’s mouth. “I’ve always been myself. That reminds me, remember when we infiltrated Niijima-san’s Palace for the first time? I took my 2000th picture of you that day.”<br/>
<br/>
Akechi paled. He seemed at an utter loss of words.<br/>
<br/>
“But you… you do realize this is not normal, don’t you?” he said at last, apparently too stunned to summon the cute bite in his words. “Keeping me here against my will and restrained all day—you even drugged me, didn’t you?!”<br/>
<br/>
There it was, the rising outrage that sent a jolt of excitement through Ren’s veins.<br/>
<br/>
He loved it all. He loved every single thing that made Akechi who he was.<br/>
<br/>
“Well, how else was I supposed to keep you there?” Ren replied with a shrug. “That was sort of unplanned, you know. But when you called to ask if you could relax at Leblanc only hours after Sakura-san left, it all clicked inside my head. Like an epiphany.”<br/>
<br/>
Ren took out his phone and showed it to Akechi. His new wallpaper screen was one of his favorites to date. “Look how cute you look with your head in your arms, like a sleeping angel. I got scared when you dropped the coffee, but it luckily spilled on the counter.”<br/>
<br/>
Ren felt his stomach stir uncomfortably at the mere recollection. What if Akechi had burned himself? What if his skin had scarred?<br/>
<br/>
He would never have forgiven himself.<br/>
<br/>
“But—why?” Akechi insisted, looking positively disgusted. “Why are you going this far?”<br/>
<br/>
Akechi seemed as though he wanted to add something else, but his voice trailed off in the end. Ren shrugged it off.<br/>
<br/>
“Isn’t it obvious? Because I love you.”<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
For a moment, everything was silent.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
Akechi had no words.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
“What…?” was all he found to say after a long, long while.<br/>
<br/>
“I love you,” Ren repeated matter-of-factly. “I want you to stay by my side forever.”<br/>
<br/>
While Akechi was trying to recover the voice that awe had stolen from him, Ren opened the Phantom Thieves’ chat and wrote a quick message about how he forgot to mention that of course, using Leblanc as a hideout wouldn’t work for the time being. He shouldn’t be questioned too much given how he played his cards in the arcade earlier today.<br/>
<br/>
<em> “So I suggest the empty lot near Kichijoji’s shrine. No one ever goes there so there’s no risk of being overheard.” </em> <em><br/>
</em> <em><br/>
</em> His phone buzzed nearly instantaneously in response, but Ren had already slipped it back into his pocket. Nothing else mattered in that moment except Akechi.<br/>
<br/>
“Anyway, I’m gonna have to leave you on your own again for a bit,” Ren said, snapping Akechi out of his stupor. “Won’t take long, just a quick trip to the convenience store nearby so that I can get all your favorite foods and snacks. That’ll improve your mood for sure.”<br/>
<br/>
“So that it…” Akechi echoed like he couldn’t believe his ears, before his voice suddenly raised to a feral yell. “I couldn’t give a <em> shit </em> about food, you freak! Just let me go alrea—”<br/>
<br/>
But his fury abruptly ended when Ren shoved the gag ball into his mouth, making sure the buckle was tight enough to be secured but not so much that it would hurt.<br/>
<br/>
“Sorry, you know the rule when I leave you alone—better safe than sorry,” Ren said, taking advantage of the moment to feel the curly ends of Akechi’s hair. They were bouncy and healthy, so soft to the touch Ren wondered how this could even be possible. “I’ll let you use the restroom when I’m back if you need it. Oh and, maybe I should bring you to the bathhouse later. I’ll think about it.”<br/>
<br/>
Ren grabbed his chin in thought. He did have some of Takemi-san’s drugs left – maybe he could take Akechi there late at night, when everybody would be home. The idea was appealing.<br/>
<br/>
“Anyway, I’m off. See you soon.”<br/>
<br/>
Even as he waved him goodbye and climbed down the stairs (Akechi responded with a bone-chilling glare), Ren already felt like a part of him was missing. A giant gaping hole where his heart should be.<br/>
<br/>
He should get this over with as fast as possible. The moment he stepped outside Leblanc, he could feel a furious flush creep up his cheeks.<br/>
<br/>
He had no idea how he managed to maintain such a straight face in Akechi’s presence, but all traces of it vanished the moment he was on his own. His legs felt a little weak.<br/>
<br/>
The slightly foolish, very enamored smile had returned to his lips.<br/>
<br/>
He really had done it – Akechi was his, truly and incontestably. He had told him he loved him… even kissed him…! Not on the lips directly, but…<br/>
<br/>
Ren felt his flush turn scarlet. Bold as he felt with Akechi for some unfathomable reason, he didn’t feel ready for a real kiss, not yet – just thinking about it made him feel like a school girl confessing to her crush. It was too intimate, too romantic; he wasn’t sure he could handle it.<br/>
<br/>
But… he really wanted to do it, still. To capture those marvelous, inescapable lips with his own. They were so tempting, so alluring…<br/>
<br/>
“Uh, you OK, kid? You’re kinda spacing out here.”<br/>
<br/>
Ren jolted, yanking himself back to the real world at once. A shopkeeper was looking at him with very round eyes.<br/>
<br/>
“Ah, yes, I’m fine. Excuse me,” Ren muttered quickly as he picked up the pace. Akechi was just too distracting…!<br/>
<br/>
But he was so perfect, too.<br/>
<br/>
He couldn’t wait to get back to Leblanc. The groceries were done in about ten minutes flat, and Ren had to physically prevent himself from practically running back home. He took a long, deep breath before unlocking the door and stepping aside.<br/>
<br/>
“I’m home~” he announced as he climbed the stairs. “Told you it’d be quick.”<br/>
<br/>
But Akechi merely looked at him with something very like scorn before averting his gaze. Ren reacted to this with an inward sigh of adoration.<br/>
<br/>
He really was too cute.<br/>
<br/>
“Look, I bought all your favorites,” Ren said, emptying his shopping bags on his bed. “And also ingredients for curry. I’ve gotten pretty good at it, you know? You’re gonna love it.”<br/>
<br/>
Ren removed the gag ball, feeling an arrow of pity strike his heart at the marks it dug all over Akechi’s lips. If only he had the courage, he could maybe soothe the pain himself…<br/>
<br/>
“Come on,” he said as he unwrapped a package of candies, “try this one—”<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
The cell phone rang.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
Akechi’s.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
“Oh? That’s weird. I thought I put it on silent,” Ren said as he took a look, his first time even touching the phone since Akechi was here. “Ah, I get it. I guess it still rings if you set it up for important contacts, huh?”<br/>
<br/>
Akechi seemed paralyzed. He stared at his phone, eyes wide like Ren had never seen them before.<br/>
<br/>
“Who… Who is it…?” he asked in a trembling voice.<br/>
<br/>
“Hm? It’s Niijima-san.”<br/>
<br/>
All of a sudden, Akechi’s expression changed. But his breathing was labored, his face quite white. “…She must be contacting me for work. She’ll get suspicious if you don’t answer, and she <em> will </em> know something isn’t right if you do… Don’t expect me to act like everything’s normal. Looks like this craziness of yours is finally going to—”<br/>
<br/>
It happened faster than lightning. Ren clasped his arm over Akechi’s mouth, cutting him off with a surprised noise.<br/>
<br/>
Then, he accepted the call.<br/>
<br/>
<em> “…Hello? Akechi-kun?” </em> resounded Niijima-san’s unmistakable voice at the end of the line after a short moment. <em> “It’s Niijima. I wanted to talk to you for a few mi—” </em> <em><br/>
</em><br/>
<em> “Good evening. Unfortunately, I’ve an early start tomorrow, so I’ll have to excuse myself.” </em> <em><br/>
</em> <em><br/>
</em> Ren couldn’t see it, what with standing behind him, but Akechi’s eyes opened even wider.<br/>
<br/>
<em> “Ah… Is that so? I suppose I’ll call another time, then—forgive me for disturbing you.” </em> <em><br/>
</em> <em><br/>
</em> <em> “Oh, I didn’t mean for that to sound negative… I’m sorry if I offended. Good night.” </em> <em><br/>
</em> <em><br/>
</em> With this, the call was over.<br/>
<br/>
Ren felt extremely proud of himself.<br/>
<br/>
“Those are… Those are samples of our phone calls…” Akechi realized as Ren released him, looking appalled.<br/>
<br/>
“You noticed? It took me forever to cut them out and stitch them all together again. I only recorded them so that I could listen to your voice whenever I wanted, but I didn’t think it’d come in so handy.”<br/>
<br/>
Ren toyed with the recorder in his hand, twirling it and throwing it in the air before catching it again with expertise. “I have about one hundred of those. Perfect for any situation no matter what it could be, don’t you think?”<br/>
<br/>
Akechi merely gaped at him in response. Ren didn’t blame him – his amount of preparation in such a short time <em> was </em> rather astounding, if he were honest. But those were the lengths he was ready to reach if it meant keeping Akechi by his side forever.<br/>
<br/>
“Okay, I’ll let you use the restroom now, then how about a movie to kill time? The whole of Yongenjaya will be deserted when 11 pm rolls around, it’ll be the perfect time to go to the bathhouse…”<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
Dozens of miles away, Niijima Sae put away her cell phone with a perplexed look on her face.<br/>
<br/>
“I mean, he can sound a bit rushed at times, but…”<br/>
<br/>
Sae frowned. Her instinct spoke loud and clear. She couldn’t put her finger on it…<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
But something definitely felt off.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Goro probably underestimated the gravity of the situation he was in... but this just made it official.</p><p>Ren needs help... very badly...!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Love 3 - RED ALERT</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The cool breeze of early November felt especially pleasant against Ren’s flushed face that evening. Mere meters separated the exit of the bathhouse from Leblanc and even so, this tiny walk had never felt so invigorating.<br/><br/>Nothing like fresh air after a long, hot bath. But, to be fair, it wasn’t only the warm water that had made him feel a bit dizzy, if not outright flustered.<br/><br/>Ah… This really was true bliss.<br/><br/>“Come on, Akechi. Nobody likes slowpokes.”<br/><br/>Heaving him on his shoulder better, Ren couldn’t help a fond sigh. Akechi’s gaze was utterly blank, his body unresponsive save for his barely functioning legs. Any bystander around could have mistaken the scene as someone carrying their drunk friend to a warm bed so that they would sleep off their hangover.<br/><br/>Not that there was such a bystander to make this mistake, of course. Ren glanced left and right, his eyes lingering on the windows around, checking if they betrayed the silhouette of a noisy neighbor – they didn’t – or whether the streets were empty – they were. Only then did he close the gap to Leblanc in one swift moment, slipping into the coffee shop like a shadow. The next moment, the shop was locked.<br/><br/>Ren’s footsteps and Akechi’s shuffling were the sole source of sound as they climbed the stairs together.<br/><br/>With as many precautions as one would take upon handling something fragile and precious, Ren laid Akechi on his bed, letting him rest on his side as he carefully removed his shoes before placing his legs on the mattress as well. Akechi remained entirely limp during the process; were it not for his half-lidded, vacant gaze, it could have looked as though he were asleep. His chest rose and fell slowly with his breathing, the calm rhythm of it pure euphoria made into sound to Ren’s ears.<br/><br/>He just wanted to nestle against him and shut his eyes, holding Akechi close as he drifted to a peaceful sleep. He wanted to bury his face into those soft, bouncy locks, wanted to intoxicate himself from Akechi’s wonderful smell of shampoo and vanilla shower gel, wanted to press his lips against the crook of his captivating neck and simply let his senses be consumed.<br/><br/>A faint flush crept up his face, made all the more crimson as his mind reenacted with great detail this past hour. Of course, things had been off to a rough start given how much Akechi struggled upon being presented with the drug, but it had been nothing Ren couldn’t handle.<br/><br/><em> “Come on, it’ll be over in no time,” </em> is what he had said in encouragement even while forcing Akechi’s mouth open, dropping the pill in, and jamming the tip of the water bottle past his lips.<br/><br/>Akechi had hacked and sputtered, but it hadn’t been long before the frantic energy possessing him receded. In a matter of minutes, his mad writhing had turned to feeble twisting, until it all came to an eventual stop. Only then did Ren unbind him, but the matter of making sure the coast was clear had been another difficult one. He had been especially worried about finding himself nose to nose with Morgana (he trusted Futaba wouldn’t be interested in going out, but what if Morgana had decided to take an evening stroll in the streets of Yongenjaya?), but choosing to go to the bathhouse so late at night had proven itself to be the right call. There had been nobody on the way there or even inside, much to Ren’s relief.<br/><br/>Yes, it truly hadn’t been exactly a walk in the park to organize this little expedition, but if Ren was asked whether it had been worth it, his answer would be a resounding ‘Yes.’ Being able to soak in a warm tub as long as he pleased with Akechi for company was quite literally a dream come true. Of course, he had done his best to respect Akechi’s privacy as much as possible (it had been difficult undressing and dressing him again without looking, although he did manage), but he did catch his eyes wandering to Akechi’s toned chest and defined collarbones, feeling his heart burst with an urge to pepper them with kisses before he got lost in the contemplation of his jawline. Really, Akechi was like a masterpiece, a divinity to be worshipped and praised until the end of time and it still wouldn’t satisfy Ren, ever.<br/><br/>Giving a long, smitten sigh, Ren retrieved some warm pajamas freshly out of the laundromat (he picked them up on their way back to Leblanc) and sat by Akechi’s side.<br/><br/>“You’ll have to give me a hand here,” he said quietly, pulling him into a sitting position. Akechi didn’t really seem like he had heard or even understood, but that was fine; gently, Ren proceeded to remove his clothes one at a time, replacing them with his pajamas. His heart did a somersault at the sight: it was the first time he had Akechi wear his clothes, nightwear or otherwise, and this was another dream he could finally tick off his list. That is, before a dozen more came huddling at his mind’s door: Akechi in a suit. Akechi in gym wear. Akechi in a butler costume. Akechi in a maid dress. Akechi in Shujin’s uniform—<br/><br/>Ren looked off in the distance, mouth slightly agape with a vague grin and unfocused eyes seeing nothing but numerous Akechis wearing from the cutest to most handsome outfits his eager mind could conjure.<br/><br/>He should go to Harajuku first things first in the morning. Tons of shops allowed the rental of costumes and other clothes for a couple of days, he would just need to take Akechi’s measurements and…<br/><br/>A weak groan made its way to Ren’s ears, cutting his giddiness short. Akechi’s face was all scrunched up (and particularly adorable) as he muttered something unintelligible, finally succumbing to drowsiness. Ren smiled a fond smile and lay him down again, grazing his cheek with the back of his hand. Akechi looked so vulnerable there, so innocent, so defenseless…<br/><br/>He would keep him safe forever. Out of harm’s way until death did them part.<br/><br/>Love truly was a wonderful thing.<br/><br/>As Akechi’s breathing fell into a quiet, regular pattern, Ren kneeled down and rested his elbows atop the mattress, his eyes half-moon as he contemplated Akechi’s sleeping features. His eyelashes were long, almost doe-like… his skin, spotless, had a glow to it Ren had never seen in any human being in the seventeen years of his life. His hair sported the most precious of cowlicks here and there. And his creamy-pink lips, so fascinating, so soft-looking…<br/><br/><br/><br/>“I’m going to kiss you.”<br/><br/><br/><br/>Ren said it in a mere whisper.<br/><br/>Akechi didn’t shift at all.<br/><br/><br/><br/>“I’m really, really going to do it.”<br/><br/><br/><br/>Ren edged closer. Mere inches separated their faces. <br/><br/><br/><br/>“…So, if you don’t want it… You’d better wake up.”<br/><br/><br/><br/>His fingers gently closed around Akechi’s jaw, making him face his way better. There was no response.<br/><br/>Ren closed his eyes. He could sense Akechi’s exhales against his skin, could smell the vanilla shower gel like never before.<br/><br/><br/><br/>The moment he was about to make contact with Akechi’s lips, Ren paused.<br/><br/><br/><br/>He opened his eyes, slowly. Akechi was still in deep slumber.<br/><br/><br/><br/>Ren stared.<br/><br/>Then, with a pout, he backed away.<br/><br/>“…I’ll do it when you’re alert. Okay, Akechi?”<br/><br/>He lightly pressed his index finger on Akechi’s lips as he spoke, which once again elicited no reaction. Ren then crossed his arms and fell asleep by Akechi’s side, his smile never leaving his face.<br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/>When Akechi finally began to stir, Ren had already been awake for over one hour.<br/><br/>The smell of curry pervaded the attic, the remnants of its salivating fumes coming from the two large plates Ren had left on his desk. They had long gone cold, but Ren was intent on greeting Akechi with a pleasant surprise on this rainy Sunday.<br/><br/>Yes, today would be a great, cozy day: eating breakfast together in bed, leaving Akechi alone for a very quick shopping trip to Harajuku, having him wear all sorts of outfits without forgetting to commemorate them all in a grand shooting session, then slip back into their pajamas and play video games over warm coffee and snacks until evening came. Perhaps he could try to nestle against him at some point, hold his hand even…<br/><br/>Ren felt his heart flutter. Life truly had a completely different, much more meaningful flavor now that he had Akechi by his side.<br/><br/>He did have to come up with something when it came to the Phantom Thieves, though; they were supposed to keep exploring Niijima-san’s Palace, which they hadn’t gone back to since their first trip there. The question of Akechi’s status was certainly going to be brought up as well. Ren was rather certain he did a good job justifying Akechi’s absence for the time being, but he knew his teammates were not idiots: they were bound to realize something was up if left unattended.<br/><br/>Ren’s glasses caught a flare of light as he leaned forward slightly. Yes, he would need to think of something, and fast.<br/><br/>Then again, he did already sort of have an idea.<br/><br/>“Ugh… My head…”<br/><br/>Feeling his stomach give a small jolt, Ren blinked and immediately turned to face Akechi, whose face was adorably scrunched up and eyes squeezed shut. He brought his hand to palm his face, until his eyes fluttered open, revealing a somewhat confused, fuzzy gaze.<br/><br/>“Good morning,” Ren greeted, sitting on the edge of the bed. “Sleep well?”<br/><br/>Akechi didn’t immediately respond. He merely blinked slowly at him, like his mind struggled to catch up with his sight. Ren chalked it up to yesterday’s drugs: he did give him a rather strong dose, after all.<br/><br/>All notions of torpor were immediately shattered as Akechi’s eyes opened wide. The next moment, he made to bolt to his feet, only to stumble dangerously; Ren had to catch him mid-fall to prevent him from hitting the floor.<br/><br/>“What the…” Akechi muttered as he broke away from Ren, looking at himself in utter disbelief. “Am I… chained down…?!”<br/><br/>“Ah, sorry about that,” Ren said indifferently as he watched Akechi struggle with the thick handcuffs restraining his left wrist and ankle. “I have to take precautions during the night, you know? Just in case.”<br/><br/>Akechi glared at him even as he pawed at his wrist, to no avail. Ren stood up, pointing at the darkness beneath the mattress, from which the two long chains keeping Akechi trapped peeked out.<br/><br/>“I installed a metal plate with a large ring under the bed just after I brought you here. Easy to hide with junk if it comes to that and very convenient. I mean, I didn’t want to risk the shelves or beams—doesn’t seem safe enough.”<br/><br/>Akechi opened his mouth and closed it again in succession. Once again, his speech was stolen away.<br/><br/>“I’ve got a nice day all planned out for us today,” Ren went on eagerly as he handed out a plate of curry to him – it was good even cold. “First breakfast, then I’ll let you use the restroom and wash up, then—”<br/><br/>Ren was interrupted by his plate of curry sent flying into the wall, smashing in a hundred pieces as it broke on impact. A fist then came his way, so fast it would have undoubtedly collided with his jaw if his experience as Joker hadn’t granted him better reflexes than average. He dodged and just stood there, blinking in confusion, while Akechi heaved quick, furious breaths.<br/><br/>“What was that for?”<br/><br/>Akechi didn’t immediately respond. His expression was twisted into one of great loathing unlike anything Ren ever saw before. There wasn’t anything human about his face in that moment.<br/><br/>“What the hell are we doing… Playing house…?” he growled, his tone lowered to a dangerous level. “You’re completely crazy… Nothing but mad…”<br/><br/>Akechi lunged at him, like a rabid dog going for the kill, but it was without taking into account the chains keeping two of his limbs restrained – he once again tripped and collapsed. The fall would have been a hard one if he hadn’t toppled all over Ren, whom he sent sprawling on the floor.<br/><br/>Akechi gave him no time to blink; his hands aimed for his throat, but the hiss of fury that should have left his mouth came instead as a gasp. Ren had grabbed his wrists tight and kept them in mid-air, entirely inflexible against Akechi’s thrashing.<br/><br/>“I’m not mad,” Ren said simply, features unreadable. “I’m just in love with you.”<br/><br/>For the first time, Akechi paused.<br/><br/>It took only a few seconds before his flailing resumed and his rage returned.<br/><br/>“Love? Don’t make me laugh—this isn’t love! That’s just perverse, deranged obsession!”<br/><br/>“It’s not. It’s love.”<br/><br/>They stared at each other, maroon eyes narrowed to twitchy slits, grey ones serious and unwavering. Akechi was about to speak when—<br/><br/>“Do you hate me that much, Akechi?”<br/><br/>For a split second, Akechi seemed entirely taken aback. He blinked and then frowned, like he was unsure what Ren was driving at.<br/><br/>“I mean, you seem really upset. Did I do something wrong? Is that why you were planning to sell us out and murder me after we were done with Niijima-san’s Palace?”<br/><br/><br/><br/>Ren saw the shock hit Akechi head on.<br/><br/><br/><br/>His eyes were round like he had been slapped across the face and left utterly stunned. His whole body was frozen in place. His jaw went entirely slack.<br/><br/><br/><br/>“What are you… What are you talking about…?”<br/><br/><br/><br/>It was as though his soul had left his body, and what was speaking was only an empty shell. His eyes were now unfocused.<br/><br/>“Hm? You know, don’t you? I’m talking about your plan to infiltrate the Phantom Thieves so that you could finally get rid of us all.”<br/><br/>Ren’s voice, for its part, was entirely nonchalant, thoroughly carefree. He sounded like they were discussing the weather.<br/><br/>“And you even wanted to make it seem like I committed suicide, right? So I’m asking you again. Do you hate me that much?”<br/><br/>“I… have no idea what you’re talking—huh?!”<br/><br/>Ren took advantage of Akechi’s stupefaction to roll them both over, switching their positions. Akechi was now the one pinned to the floor, his wrists trapped under Ren’s firm grasp.<br/><br/>“Want to listen to the recordings? Futaba got it all from your phone.”<br/><br/>“You’re—you’re bluffing! Let me go!”<br/><br/>By way of answer, Ren grabbed both of Akechi’s wrists in one hand and kept them above his head. Akechi flailed and squirmed wildly, but he couldn’t shake him off no matter how hard he tried; the drugs still inside his system might be playing a part in that.<br/><br/><em> “—Then, I’ll guide the police to her Palace and have them catch the Phantom Thieves in the act.” </em> <em><br/></em> <em><br/></em> Once again, Akechi froze on the spot. His breathing became louder, faster.<br/><br/><em> “We could say he stole the guard’s gun and committed suicide during his imprisonment… How about that?” </em> <em><br/></em> <em><br/></em> <em> “Yes, the guard will be one of ours. We’ll have to eliminate him afterwards to destroy the evidence, though…” </em><br/><br/>“Ah… A-Ah…”<br/><br/><em> “And thus, the dangerous criminal responsible for the mass mental shutdowns shall end his own life.” </em> <em><br/></em> <em><br/></em> With his free hand, Ren pressed the ‘pause’ button on his phone.<br/><br/>He allowed a deliberately long silence to settle around before speaking again.<br/><br/>“You okay? You don’t look so good.”<br/><br/>‘Don’t look so good’ was rather an understatement: Akechi looked halfway between vomiting all he got or simply passing out. His drained face had a slight blue hue to it, so faint it might be invisible.<br/><br/>It barely lasted a moment, however. Akechi caught Ren off-guard by letting out a very quiet, very bitter chuckle. One second later, any note of mirthless amusement was gone from his face, replaced by a deep-creased frown.</p><p>“I suppose… there’s no point in denying it anymore, is there,” he grumbled, glowering at Ren with pure poison in both eyes and voice. “Now I get why you’re keeping me captive… It’s so that I can’t put my plan into action… So that you can save yourself…”<br/><br/>“Hm? You’re completely off the mark. Like I said, it’s because I love you.”<br/><br/>Akechi would have looked more or less the same if Ren had suddenly grown two heads.<br/><br/>Ren’s heart was pummeling hard against his chest. He could feel it; could feel the opportunity fate was presenting him with. Now was the time to prove his love once and for all, the perfect moment to finally capture Akechi’s lips in his and convey his feelings with an incontestable proof. Akechi looked so enticing in that moment, with his very round, very big eyes – Ren wanted to see more of his cute, stunned face, wanted to kiss him until Akechi transcended the shock and simply gave in, kissing him back as ardently as Ren’s kiss would be soft—<br/><br/><br/><br/>Someone knocked on Leblanc’s door downstairs.<br/><br/><br/><br/>Ren immediately went still.<br/><br/><br/><br/>“Yo! Leader, you there? I’m here with Ann!”<br/><br/>A muscle in Ren’s jaw twitched.<br/><br/>Ryuji.<br/><br/>“Sakamoto…?” Akechi whispered as he turned his head aside, his quick pulse visible in his neck before he suddenly began to yell, “Help me—mphff!”<br/><br/>Ren clasped his hand over Akechi’s mouth, hard. His mind was reeling.<br/><br/>This couldn’t be happening.<br/><br/>His perfect life with Akechi was actually, legitimately, in danger of being compromised.<br/><br/>Not answering wasn’t an option. He did write in the group chat this morning that he would stay in Leblanc all day, and his sudden absence could lead to a snowball effect of lies that might get out of control.<br/><br/>The knocking resounded again. It was like a whiplash across Ren’s psyche.<br/><br/>It happened in an instant. Quicker than lightning, Ren reached for the gag ball left under the bed and rammed it into Akechi’s mouth, then yanked him to his feet by the arm before throwing him onto his chair and handcuffing him there. Akechi tried to struggle, kick, scream. But his efforts were for naught.<br/><br/>“I’ll be back soon,” Ren said, his voice disturbingly foreign. “Just need to take care of a little something first.”<br/><br/>He only took a few steps before glancing at Akechi again, this time with a small smile. “Wait for me, will you?”<br/><br/>Akechi could only respond with a distressed look on his face as Ren hurried down the stairs, skipping two of them at a time.<br/><br/><br/><br/></p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Things are heating up! …In more ways than one…</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Love 4 - CLOUD NINE</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ren couldn’t remember the last time his heart had pounded so much.<br/>
<br/>
It seemed to be hurling itself against his ribs, as if desperate to jump out of his chest. His veins responded in kind, pulsing violently throughout his entire body, to the point that he could actually sense one pop out across his neck.<br/>
<br/>
Even so, his face, stony and impassive, betrayed nothing. It never did.<br/>
<br/>
“Sorry to keep you waiting,” he said by way of greeting upon unlocking the door. “I fell back asleep after I wrote in the group chat.”<br/>
<br/>
“I told you we should have asked before dropping by out of the blue, Ryuji,” Ann chided, glaring at him. Ryuji, for his part, didn’t seem that concerned.<br/>
<br/>
“C’mon, it’s past 10. He wasn’t gonna stay in bed all day long,” he replied, grinning in a carefree way. “So, leader—we were wonderin’ if—”<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
A loud thud rang out from upstairs.<br/>
<br/>
Ren’s heart stopped for the space of a beat.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
“What’s that?” Ann wondered, lifting a confused gaze upward. “Sounds like it’s coming from the attic.”<br/>
<br/>
“That’s… probably the TV,” Ren said, feeling sweat begin to build up over his back.<br/>
<br/>
“Eh? But weren’t you asleep?” she asked, much to his horror – he felt as though he had been electrified.<br/>
<br/>
“Right, but you know—it’s a piece of old junk,” he explained as a couple more thuds blared on. “It’ll randomly turn on and put whatever’s airing on full blast. I really need to fix it.”<br/>
<br/>
“Uh… If you say so,” Ryuji replied, throwing Ann an askew glance which she returned uncertainly. “So, I was sayin’—do you wanna hang out today? We were thinkin’ of watchin’ a movie, then go fishin’ at Ichigaya. They said it’d stop rainin’ soon…”<br/>
<br/>
“Sorry, I really appreciate it, but—I’m still not done cleaning Leblanc. Sakura-san will kill me if I’m not by the time he comes back.”<br/>
<br/>
“What? Dude, this place’s practically sparklin’!” Ryuji exclaimed, standing on tiptoe so that he could see beyond Ren’s shoulder. “I bet I could see myself on the counter!”</p><p>“Ryuji’s right, it does look squeaky clean to me…” Ann added, looking thoughtful.</p><p>“Trust me, you haven’t seen the kitchen area,” Ren replied at once, relying on pure instinct now. “The stove, the sink, the inside of the fridge… They’re all a disaster.”<br/>
<br/>
He took a step forward, manufacturing the perfect tone to use in this situation: firm but not off-putting, free of incriminating stutters, relatively lacking in emotion to match with his usual voice but still laced with a tiniest dash of sheepishness so that Ryuji and Ann would understand this was a matter he would rather they didn’t venture, lest they cause him further embarrassment. Each word was always measured and carefully chosen, each syllable carrying a pitch the process of which was thought out by thousands of factors in a split moment. It was nearly a mastery at this point, a developed craft worthy of awe despite the unspoken, invisible expertise Ren put into it at every passing second. The result of this feat was…<br/>
<br/>
“Sorry, I really hate to turn you down, but I promise I’ll hang out with you tomorrow. Send me pictures of your day later, all right?”<br/>
<br/>
The little smile that pierced through toward the end of his sentence was the cherry on top. Even before they responded, he knew he had won.<br/>
<br/>
“Sure, we will…” Ann said, a troubled crease to her brow. “Sorry, we didn’t want to impose…”<br/>
<br/>
“But you better not be a no-show tomorrow, all right?” Ryuji exclaimed eagerly, punching his fist into his palm. “Remember, you promised!”<br/>
<br/>
Ren merely replied with his smile intact as he waved them goodbye. Only when they disappeared around the corner of the alley and into the main street did he step back into Leblanc and locked it behind him.<br/>
<br/>
The long, deep, weary sigh he exhaled as his shoulders slouched couldn’t have conveyed his relief more plainly. It was like the entire tension he had accumulated over those past minutes left him along his sigh, taking with it the heavy weight constricting his chest and shoulders.<br/>
<br/>
The situation was becoming dangerous. He had to find a way to shake off his friends’ suspicions once and for all. He couldn’t lie to them forever; the longer ke hept at it, the more exposed he was to the risk of being found out.<br/>
<br/>
He couldn’t allow that to happen.<br/>
<br/>
His happiness with Akechi depended on it.<br/>
<br/>
Mind gears grinding against one another at an astounding pace, Ren returned to the attic, meeting the sight of a squirming and flailing Akechi as he relentlessly kept knocking into the floor using the front feet of his chair. While he usually would have found his efforts cute, Ren didn’t manage to fawn over him this time, too busy coming up with a plan to react with the proper endearment Akechi deserved.<br/>
<br/>
“You can stop now,” he said as he reached out to remove the gag ball. “They left.”<br/>
<br/>
Akechi’s eyes widened, translating his disbelief as clearly as if he had spelled it out. When he spoke, he couldn’t help the slight quaver in his voice.<br/>
<br/>
“No way…”<br/>
<br/>
His face, abnormally pale like the blood had drained from it in a flash, drooped onto his chest. The rise and fall of his chest was a fast one, matching his quick breathing; his eyebrows too, raised in an expression of anguish, backed up the overall gloom of his whole demeanor.<br/>
<br/>
Ren felt his insides contract.<br/>
<br/>
The thought of an upset Akechi was more than he could physically bear, a gaping wound into his heart. The knowledge that he was the apparent cause was the salt poured onto it, tearing him from within.<br/>
<br/>
Some way or another, he had done the unforgivable. He had to fix it no matter what.<br/>
<br/>
“Akechi…”</p><p>He couldn’t help it. With as many precautions as if handling a newborn child, he stretched out his hand, caressing Akechi’s cheek – Akechi tensed up and stiffened, driving one more nail into Ren’s heart.</p><p>“Is there anything I can do for you? I want to see you happy,” he said, his voice abound with sorrow.</p><p>Akechi slowly lifted his eyes, meeting Ren’s. They were resentful and dark, far from the sparkling maroon he had been able to admire until now.<br/>
<br/>
“Then… Let me go.”<br/>
<br/>
“Sorry… That’s the one thing I can’t do.”<br/>
<br/>
Akechi made some sound halfway between a grunt and a whimper. But no matter how much it pained him, Ren would stand his ground.<br/>
<br/>
“I’ll make you happy, I promise,” he murmured, running his fingers into Akechi’s silky hair. “You just need to give me a chance.”<br/>
<br/>
“…Get your hands off me,” Akechi shot back, his low-pitched voice carrying a venomous scorn. “You make me sick.”<br/>
<br/>
No emotion showed on Ren’s face. All he did was stare blankly.<br/>
<br/>
He could see the hatred in Akechi’s eyes. A corrosive acid spilling into Ren’s veins, burning it all to the very last cell.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
Before he realized what he was doing, Ren was already leaping forward.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
It was his heart that was driving his every movement and nothing else; the force of his body weight was such that he caused Akechi to fall backward onto the floor. Akechi gasped, letting out an exclamation of surprise that only managed to partially leave his throat.<br/>
<br/>
The rest was drowned out when Ren crashed their lips together, turning into a muffled sound of shock.<br/>
<br/>
Imperturbable in the face of Akechi’s writhing and struggling, Ren cupped the sides of his face and kissed him harder, almost as though his life depended on it. In a way, it did; he wanted Akechi to feel it, he wanted this kiss to convey every single layer of his affection, of his love, wanted him to understand how much Ren was thankful for his existence and that his proximity alone was Ren’s salvation. This was his last resort, his one chance to get things right when words were now failing him.<br/>
<br/>
“S-Stop—” Akechi managed as he violently jerked his head aside, only to be once again shut up by an even rougher kiss. Ren was getting lost in it, each of Akechi’s whimpers one more note added to the beautiful melody assembling itself inside his mind. He could sense Akechi’s body tremble beneath his but to no avail; his bound wrists and ankles only allowed him to jerk his chest, which did nothing to push Ren off or even relent the kiss. He was being intoxicated, just like someone tasting the life-saving drug for the first time and bewitched into becoming dependent on it for the rest of their days. And Akechi’s lips were this drug, this miraculous poison or this poisonous miracle, a cure he could consume minute after minute and he wouldn’t be sure his thirst would ever be quenched.<br/>
<br/>
Those lips were more marvelous than anything he ever envisioned, soft and tasting sweet, like the juice of the freshest apple or the most tender of apricots. But delightful as they were, they were a mere appetizer in Ren’s eyes, a prelude to the true wonder he was dying to experience, the tempting, final prize that seemed to chant his name, seemed to encourage him to taste it… and so Ren caved in.<br/>
<br/>
Deaf to Akechi’s groans, Ren squeezed his fingers gently into the hollows of his cheeks, forcing his lips apart before immediately slipping his tongue in. It was messy and sloppy, a testimony to his lack of experience, but he couldn’t have cared less; he savored it, savored the softness of Akechi’s lips, savored the shifting tongue against his own, twirled around it, melted into it, wanted to explore every last inch of his mouth—<br/>
<br/>
Akechi’s tossing and turning eventually slowed down, much to Ren’s pleasure, then outright stopped. Ren cracked one eye open even as he deepened the kiss, noticing Akechi had squeezed his shut. There was a heavy flush to his cheeks, emitting a mild warmth Ren felt upon his skin. He closed his eyes again, tasking his mind to engrave this sight of Akechi into his every cell, determined to carry said sight to the grave and protect it forever and ever…<br/>
<br/>
When at last, Ren pulled away, his pulse was beating at a fluttering pace inside his core.<br/>
<br/>
The silence, for a moment, was broken only by the sound of heavy panting filling the room. Akechi’s eyes were at half-mast, giving him an extremely vulnerable appearance that sent Ren’s heart into a little bounce. He stared at him in utter captivation, eyes wide and jaw slackened, as though contemplating the miracle of life itself. This was yet another new face Akechi was revealing to him in that instant, a face so unique and different from the others that all he could do was keep gazing. He had to see more of this face, yearned for nothing else except—<br/>
<br/>
No… He couldn’t rush him. Akechi deserved better than that.<br/>
<br/>
“I really mean it, you know. When I say I love you.”<br/>
<br/>
Ren pulled back slightly. He was still on all fours, his hands on the parquet on either side of Akechi’s head, but the distance between their faces widened.<br/>
<br/>
“There’s no trick here, no deception, and no means to an end. I’m not keeping you here out of revenge or anything like that. I just really, really want to have you by my side and spend my life with you.”<br/>
<br/>
Akechi’s eyes narrowed, surveying his own. In the end, they flitted elsewhere, not accompanied by a single word. Ren wasn’t sure whether this was a good thing.<br/>
<br/>
“Right—” he said, realization dawning on him. He leapt to his feet, grabbing the backseat of Akechi’s chair and lifting it back into its original position. “Up you go. You didn’t knock your head, right? What about your arms and hands, are they okay?”<br/>
<br/>
Earning mere silence in response, Ren decided to inspect Akechi himself; his hands, thin and soft, were thankfully free of bruises, as were his arms. His head seemed devoid of bumps as well; his hair was especially pleasing to the touch, almost welcoming his fingers into it—<br/>
<br/>
“I’m fine, all right?!” Akechi suddenly barked, making Ren startle. “Knock it off!”<br/>
<br/>
“Right—sorry—”<br/>
<br/>
Feeling like a child caught reaching into the cookie jar, Ren sheepishly removed his hand and gave Akechi space. He was glad, deep down, that this cute petulant side of his had returned.<br/>
<br/>
“All right, you stay here,” he said, oblivious to the massive foot he just put in his mouth. “I’m going to make you some coffee. You’ll love it.”<br/>
<br/>
And by the time Akechi could react, Ren was already whirling around and trotting downstairs, just in time to hide the silly wide grin upon his face.<br/>
<br/>
It was happening again. The swooning.<br/>
<br/>
He was a teenager, practically a man, and yet here he was, blushing and squeeing to himself inside a deserted Leblanc. But he couldn’t help it.<br/>
<br/>
He had done it. He had finally done it.<br/>
<br/>
This hadn’t exactly been his idea of how his first kiss would go but in the end, it was more perfect than whatever scenarios his frenzied mind used to conjure. His brain seemed particularly keen on reenacting every second of their encounter, from the moment Akechi’s chair fell to the moment it was lifted again. Like a movie set in slow-motion, Ren saw each frame sharply, from Akechi’s half-lidded eyes to his reddened skin, the vein pulsing near his Adam's apple, his long lashes fluttering as his face scrunched up, and that was of course without mentioning his lips, his divine lips and the treasure they hid deep within—<br/>
<br/>
Ren shook his head hard, even he realizing he should stop there before he became too flustered. The process of making coffee from scratch, one he had mastered long ago, proved itself to be quite arduous today; the way he kept gazing blissfully into space might have a part in it. The alarming reminder of Ann and Ryuji’s visit was now a distant memory at best; he couldn’t believe he felt so happy in that moment given how stressed out he had been barely one hour prior. Akechi truly had something magical in him to be able to wipe out his negative emotions at the snap of his fingers.<br/>
<br/>
The next time Ren paid the shrine a visit, he should make sure to properly thank the gods for blessing him with such wondrous fortune.<br/>
<br/>
“Right, I didn’t get to go to Harajuku yet…”<br/>
<br/>
It was with a spring to his step that Ren brought a perfectly brewed cup of coffee to Akechi, whose face seemed frozen in a permanent scowl. The troubled wrinkles between his eyebrows were very cute.<br/>
<br/>
“It’s hot, so you’ll have to wait a bit before tasting,” Ren said, letting the drink near the TV. “In the meantime…”<br/>
<br/>
“What in the world are you doing…” Akechi grunted as Ren grabbed a measuring tape in his tools and circled it around his waist.<br/>
<br/>
“Isn’t it obvious? I’m taking your measurements. Try to spread your arms a bit, I need to measure your chest…”<br/>
<br/>
“Wha—I’m tied up, you idiot—”<br/>
<br/>
“It’s fine. Right, need your hips too…” Ren muttered, and, sensing Akechi’s familiar outburst incoming, “Don’t worry, don’t worry. I’ve got a little surprise in store for you, but I need to go out first. Here, take a sip.”<br/>
<br/>
Putting the measuring tape away and exchanging it for the coffee, Ren brought it to Akechi’s lips, who kept petulantly pulling away from him. Well, it wasn’t like Ren could force him; he would never risk having Akechi burn himself on his watch.<br/>
<br/>
“Fine, be that way,” Ren said lightly, finally giving up. “But you’re seriously missing out.”<br/>
<br/>
Akechi responded merely with a scoff. Clearly, he was in a bad mood for some reason. Ren couldn’t fathom why.<br/>
<br/>
“Okay, I’ll be back shortly,” he promised, and Akechi once again recoiled as the gag ball was coming his way, although he was as always fighting a long lost battle. “See you soon~”<br/>
<br/>
Resisting the urge to kiss his hair, Ren left Leblanc at a swift pace, even humming to himself a little tune as he headed to Yongenjaya station. Like Ryuji had said, the rain did let up: the timid sun peeking out of the greyish white clouds matched his mood process, and he was eager to uncover the blue skies hiding beyond. Even the rather cool breeze had mellowed to a milder one, invigorating more than biting. It remained this way even in crowded Harajuku, but Ren didn’t get the chance to enjoy the improving weather too much, not when his destination was already in sight from the subway exit.<br/>
<br/>
An enthusiastic “Welcome!” greeting him as soon as he stepped inside the two-story store, Ren immediately marveled, astounded at the thousands of costumes pervading the walls. There wasn’t a single inch not covered in clothes of some kind, from the most innocent – frilly, bell-shaped poofy dresses – to the most scandalous – skimpy costumes like a policewoman outfit that ironically seemed a crime in and of itself.<br/>
<br/>
Ren never meant to leave Akechi alone too long, but the multitude of choices and variety was such that it dictated him to. It took him a very, very long time to make up his mind on which costumes to buy, and the time to pay was overall awkward; he spent more money in that one minute than in the past month… but when he left the store, his shopping bag very heavy and his wallet dramatically lighter, he found that he had zero regrets.<br/>
<br/>
Anything for Akechi, after all; like he always said.<br/>
<br/>
When he came back to Leblanc, the first thought crossing Ren’s mind was that Akechi had fallen asleep, but he was wrong: Akechi grudgingly opened his eyes at his arrival, his expression still sporting a disgruntled air.<br/>
<br/>
“I might’ve gone a bit overboard,” Ren said cheerfully as he removed the gag, “but I just couldn’t help myself. I could’ve bought the entire store, really.”<br/>
<br/>
With as much pride as a genius about to present the world with a life-changing invention, Ren rummaged through the shopping bag and eagerly exhibited his loot to Akechi – whose face seemed to go one shade paler with each outfit Ren fished out.<br/>
<br/>
“Sailor fuku, nurse costume, detective heroine, butler, female tennis player, sweet and gothic lolita dresses, tracksuit—wait, I got mostly girl clothes, huh? Didn’t even notice.”<br/>
<br/>
If Ren didn’t, then Akechi absolutely did. Lips set in a firm line but eyes wide, he stared at the clothes like watching something horrifying yet captivating at the same time, something he couldn’t tear his sight away from no matter how much he tried.<br/>
<br/>
“Okay, you ready? Let’s start with… yeah, the nurse costume. You’ll look great.”<br/>
<br/>
“…I’m still tied up. I won’t be able to… wear any of those like this.”<br/>
<br/>
“Right. Guess I should free you so that you can change.”<br/>
<br/>
Almost imperceptibly, Akechi straightened up.<br/>
<br/>
Ren approached, swiftly freeing Akechi’s wrist and ankle from the bed chain. His four limbs were still bound to the chair, but he already appeared to be relieved somewhat. Ren made to free his legs when—<br/>
<br/>
“You know, on second thought… Maybe it’s a bit too early to free you. I mean, you could try to escape or worse, hurt yourself while at it.”<br/>
<br/>
“I’m not—planning to…” Akechi muttered shakily, but Ren was entirely oblivious to it. He took on a thoughtful look as he considered his options.<br/>
<br/>
“I don’t have any drugs left, though… Oh well. Guess you’ll have to be unconscious during the photoshoot.”<br/>
<br/>
“Wh-What the hell are you—”<br/>
<br/>
But Akechi couldn’t get out any more words. Not when absolute horror stole the rest of them.<br/>
<br/>
“Have a nice dream or two, Akechi,” Ren said joyfully as he poured a large quantity of chloroform into a rag. “I’ll show you all the pictures I’m gonna take when you wake up.”<br/>
<br/>
Akechi shook his head madly, but the rag was pressed against his nose and mouth before he could even begin to scream. It was only a matter of seconds before his eyes cutely fluttered close and his head lolled aside, soon turning motionless.<br/>
<br/>
Ren couldn’t help a fond, adoring smile. Akechi truly looked like an angel when he slept.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>It's nearly 3 am and I'm dead exhausted but... I did it! I updated........... 😴😴😴</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Love 5 - WAREHOUSE</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hey hey! I'm back with a new chapter!</p><p>For those who have been following my other stories or are in my Discord server, you might know I'm currently in the process of rewriting my old story called Succession. Well, I'm actually done rewriting it all, but there's a very important step I'm not finished with yet... and this is a step I can only do on my computer. I'm currently away on vacation though, and I don't have access to my computer right now, so I figured I might as well return to another ongoing fic of mine since I can't progress any further in Succession for the time being! Lovesick is a rather easy fic to write, so I decided to update it first (this chapter took me about two days and a half to write hehe). Have fun going back to Ren's messed up psyche!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Not answerin’?”</p><p>“No… It keeps redirecting me to voicemail…”</p><p>The sky of Shibuya was as clear as Ann and Ryuji’s moods were overcast. Everywhere they looked, the buzz of life seemed abound: businessmen went on their way, attaché-case in one hand, cell phone in the other; high school girls giggled and flushed at the wink a handsome host threw them on their way. People patiently queued up inside the crowded Big Bang Burger, while Triple Seven was packed to the brim with shoppers. Perhaps it was the bright weather that ignited the cheerful atmosphere, a rare sunny spell across an otherwise gloomy November.</p><p>Ann and Ryuji, however, didn’t feel so much like partaking in the high spirits around. No matter how many text messages they wrote and phone calls they gave, Ren would remain absolutely silent.</p><p>“Can’t believe he really stood us up,” Ryuji grumbled, hands in pockets and kicking at the floor. “What with promisin’ and all.”</p><p>“And he totally ignored the pictures we sent him yesterday, even though he said he wanted to see them… Hey, do you think we should talk to the others about this?”</p><p>“Huh? You think it’s that serious?” </p><p>Ann bit her lip. Ryuji’s question had been devoid of sarcasm and motivated only by curiosity, but she seemed hesitant all the same. </p><p>“Well, it’s just… I really feel he’s acting weird lately. I can’t put my finger on it, but…”</p><p>“Right… I mean, I obviously don’t pay as much attention to this sorta stuff, but it’s kinda hard to miss…” </p><p>“I know! It’s almost like… like he’s hiding something from us, don’t you think?” </p><p>“There’s no way, though. Our leader ain’t the sort of guy to plot bad stuff behind our backs—” </p><p>“Of course he isn’t! But what if he’s in trouble and doesn’t tell us because he’s protecting us? Because he doesn’t want us to get involved?” </p><p>Ann noticeably fidgeted as she spoke; her nervousness was obvious from her manner alone, backed up by the twirling of her fingers around her right twintail. Ryuji wasn’t faring much better. </p><p>“Y’know, now that I could definitely see happenin’… I mean, he’s got all those weird contacts left and right, even the scary dude from the airsoft shop—maybe he got dragged into some shady shit…”</p><p>“Now I’m seriously getting worried…” </p><p>Unease hung in the air, like a bubble keeping them remote from the carefree, joyful world.<br/>
<br/>
But if the atmosphere of Shibuya spoke of joy, then the one inside Leblanc’s attic spelled out complete rapture. </p><p>“And look at this one—it’s like this butler uniform was made for you. I can practically hear you greet me with a ‘Welcome home, Master’ or something—” </p><p>As Akechi averted his eyes with a scoff, Ren’s own glazed over, their vacancy translating the vivid scenes his mind hurried to conjure. He gazed in the distance, mouth slightly agape in a silly grin, dreaming waking dreams in which Akechi, dressed in the butler costume, would bow deep and welcome him with those radiant smiles of his. He could picture it all: the crescent-shaped eyes, the elegance of his manner, the soft tone of his voice, even the tray upon which Akechi would have prepared tea and various delicacies just for his master’s pleasure—<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
“—last…?”<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
Ren blinked out of his overwhelming fantasies as if someone had snapped their fingers in front of his face. </p><p>There had been nothing so forceful, however, about Akechi’s weak, laborious strain of a voice.</p><p>“Sorry?” Ren said airily, sitting on his bed by Akechi’s side. “I didn’t catch what you said.”<br/>
<br/>
“I said… How long is this… going to last…?”<br/>
<br/>
Akechi closed his eyes and opened them again, slowly. He seemed exhausted like never before; each word he uttered appeared to cost him an awful effort. He woke up about half an hour ago and even so, the effect of the chloroform was still heavy on him, if his groggy (irresistible, in fact) manner was anything to go by. He was lying on his side, hands tied behind his back, glaring at Ren from the corner of his eye. Ren would have felt a twinge in his heart if he hadn’t been so busy taking in Akechi’s soft hair locks and how they lay over the mattress like beautiful filaments of silk.</p><p>“Hm?” he said in a distracted tone, wondering whether he could get away with kissing this gorgeous hair. “What are you talking about, Akechi?”</p><p>“This can’t keep going endlessly… right…? You’ll have to let me go eventually… You’ll have to stop this…”</p><p>This time, Ren felt the twinge – or rather the stab.</p><p>A weary sigh escaped him. He disliked it when Akechi brought up that topic – because it always walked hand in hand with this unhappiness permeating his features, this unhappiness that was akin to a blade aimed straight at Ren’s heart. The light of hope in Akechi’s eyes was dimming away, which Ren rued a great deal; he would give everything to ignite it once more, to see this usual shine twinkle anew, and he looked forward to that day which he simply knew was coming. Akechi would understand sooner or later, he would realize just how much he mattered to Ren, how deep and sincere Ren’s feelings were toward him… Ren just had to figure out how to convey them and he would keep at it everyday or die trying. Either way, as attentive as he was to Akechi’s happiness and comfort, this pleading of his was the one thing Ren couldn’t yield to no matter what.<br/>
<br/>
“I want you to stay by my side forever, Akechi. That hasn’t changed since yesterday—and it won’t change anytime soon.”</p><p>Akechi’s expression was unfathomable.</p><p>He simply stared up at him, not a single sound escaping his lips. Then, he closed his eyes and looked away.</p><p>He was just like a petulant, sulky little child.</p><p>It took Ren every last ounce of his willpower not to ruffle his hair.</p><p>Deciding to give Akechi space for the time being, Ren sat at his desk and resumed gazing lovingly at the hundreds of pictures he took of Akechi the previous day. As expected, each was more lovely than the last; there wasn’t a single outfit that didn’t suit him. Even now, Akechi was still wearing Shujin’s iconic red tracksuit… Ren’s, in fact. He looked so good in it that just a quick glance was enough to make Ren swoon and his heart thump wilder.</p><p>Quickly averting his rising flush, Ren leaned over his phone again. It was next to impossible to choose which picture he would use as his new wallpaper; actually, a dynamic theme displaying them all one by one periodically might be the best solution. Right, that was a great idea!</p><p>Ren’s already high spirits shot to new levels, and he quickly proceeded to set up the dynamic theme – and this is when he noticed it.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
He had five new text messages and three missed calls. From either Ann or Ryuji. <br/>
<br/>
<br/>
His heart did a little leap. He had completely forgotten about his promise to hang out with them; but apparently, they hadn’t.</p><p>Ren felt something uncomfortable stir in his stomach. He would be lying if he said he didn’t feel a bit guilty: those were his friends he was standing up. Just like the sun ruling over the rest of the galaxy, Akechi simply eclipsed everything else, even basic necessities such as eating; it was no wonder meeting Ann and Ryuji slipped his mind. And besides, if he were entirely honest… any second spent in every way but with Akechi was one he considered wasted. Perhaps it was his subconscious itself that wiped anything unrelated to Akechi from his thoughts. </p><p>At any rate, Ren had messed up. And he had a feeling the quick message he just sent, meant to reassure his friends, wouldn’t do much good at this point. </p><p>Ren stood up and gazed down at Akechi. The gesture went unreturned: Akechi pointedly refused to meet his eyes, as if determined to pout.</p><p>Ren’s stare mellowed into an adoring smile.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
“So he really didn’t come? And he apparently only just sent you a message to apologize but said nothing about being on his way?”</p><p>Makoto’s summary rang loud and clear across all heads, allowing each Phantom Thief to grasp the situation for what it was while Ann and Ryuji nodded in unison. Just like the rest of Shibuya, Central Street’s diner was overflowing with animation; their table, however, was marked by worry and hushed whispers.</p><p>“Yeah. He’s definitely hiding something… don’t you think?” Ann said, her nervous eyes shifting from person to person. “I was telling Ryuji earlier—maybe he got himself in trouble but won’t tell us so that we don’t get involved…”</p><p>“Keeping us in the dark for the sake of preserving us…” Yusuke added, features serious like rarely before. “That is definitely something Ren would do.”</p><p>“That’s what I thought too!” Ryuji exclaimed, rising from his seat and causing everyone at the table to startle. “He’s totally tryin’ to protect us!” </p><p>“Calm down,” Makoto urged, glancing at the curious patrons around. “But yes, I agree something’s definitely not right here… If Ren really is in trouble, we can’t just sit around while letting him deal with it all on his own.”</p><p>“Come to think of it, he’s been acting strange for several days now, hasn’t he?” Haru said, a troubled crease to her brow. “Mona-chan, Futaba-chan, did you happen to bump into him recently in Yongenjaya? Did he do anything unusual?”</p><p>“Haven’t seen him even once. Almost like he’s avoiding us, actually,” Futaba replied, hugging her knees. “I wish I hadn’t removed the bug in Leblanc… I mean, I’d have kept it if Ren hadn’t been so pushy—” </p><p>“You removed the bug at Ren’s demand?” Makoto asked, promoting a nod from Futaba but also a questioning noise. Makoto’s expression took on a thoughtful air even as she replied, “No… It’s nothing.” </p><p>“I did find it weird how much he insisted I stay with Futaba those past days,” Morgana piped in as he peeked out of Futaba’s backpack. “It’s like he wants me to stay away from Leblanc…” </p><p>“Not just you, man…” Ryuji replied dejectedly. “He practically kicked us out of Leblanc yesterday.”</p><p>“Did he…?” </p><p>Haru’s expression spoke of crestfallen disbelief. Ann and Ryuji couldn’t think of anything to say to ease it.</p><p>“Let’s get to the bottom of this posthaste,” Yusuke said, earning fervent nods. “We need to be there for Ren no matter what—just like he’s been for all of us.”</p><p>And like that, the matter was settled – the glint of determination in the Phantom Thieves’ eyes, never missing when it came to their leader, was bright and whole.<br/>
<br/>
The glint in Ren’s eyes, for its part, while similar, was the testimony of a different emotion altogether.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
He knew he was saying this a lot.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
But Akechi really was too beautiful, to the point it seemed inconceivable. <br/>
<br/>
<br/>
It took Ren about one hour and a half to decide which pictures he would print and paste on the walls. He had already gathered the necessary sum to pay for the paper, the thickest and glossiest available – it was expensive, but gathering the materials and printing Akechi’s pictures himself using the dusty machine in Yongenjaya’s post office raised less questions than leaving it to a professional firm. There was a certain thrill in keeping his adoration of Akechi a secret, Ren thought, like it was something only he and Akechi shared, and the rest of the world had no idea. Not a single person could even begin to guess just how beautiful and adorable Akechi was, how intoxicating his scent felt to Ren’s sense of smell, how delightful and addicting the taste of his neck was—</p><p>Finding a silly, enamored smile on his lips, Ren shook his head and dragged himself back to the present before drool could trickle out. He returned to his phone, once again taking the time to review them all and occasionally stopping on one to fawn upon longer. His favorite had to be the nurse outfit – no, the sailor fuku one. The butler uniform looked elegant beyond measure and the frilly dresses adorable on Akechi, but there was an appeal to Shujin’s tracksuit Ren had underestimated quite a lot; he knew Akechi would look good in it, but <em> that </em> good… </p><p>His heart fluttered. </p><p>There were no words to describe the absolute rapture Akechi instilled in him. </p><p>It was like witnessing a miracle. Like experiencing something life-changing. Like being in contact with something so pure and beautiful, Ren felt cleansed of his own impurities just like magic.</p><p>Yes, that’s right: his love for Akechi <em> was </em> pure.</p><p>It was born from the most innocent of seeds, a curiosity turned admiration, an admiration turned worship. That’s all there was to it, only devotion taken to its rawest form.</p><p>…He loved everything about Akechi.</p><p>His smiles, his presence, his personality, his expressions, his very being, the way he spoke, the way he carried himself, the way he was – he loved it all. And he wanted Akechi to keep giving it all to him.</p><p>He wanted Akechi whole.</p><p>And he knew Akechi would give the whole of himself eventually. He just needed more time – and perhaps a little push.</p><p>Ren could hardly contain his excitement at the prospect of this day. The day when the last of Akechi’s barriers would collapse, the day when he would finally greet him with open arms and throw himself into Ren’s embrace, the day when he would allow Ren to take him entirely—<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
A loud banging rang out.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
The dumbstruck sparkles within Ren’s eyes flickered out at once.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
He remained entirely still, like a deer caught in the headlights. When the banging thundered once more, his heart froze in his chest for the space of an instant.</p><p>Ren glanced at the attic a split second longer before rushing down the stairs. The silhouette of a small crowd visible beyond Leblanc’s blurring glass door felt like missing a step or two from a particularly steep staircase; his stomach dropped. </p><p>The banging didn’t relent as he approached. If anything, it only intensified. </p><p>Grabbing the key left inside the hole, Ren paused.</p><p>Then slowly, cautiously unlocked and opened the door.</p><p>“Hey,” he said, once again mustering a remarkably neutral expression in the face of the ones aimed at him. “Why is everyone here? Did something happen?”</p><p>“Nothing in particular,” Makoto replied at once, taking a step forward. “You don’t mind if we invite ourselves in, do you?” </p><p>“Well—Leblanc could get dirty if—” </p><p>“I’m sure Sakura-san will understand,” Makoto cut off, her tone less harsh and more urgent. “Please, Ren—we really need to talk.”</p><p>“About what?” Ren asked, his eyes widening in surprise. He couldn’t help a glance at the staircase as his friends forced their way in – a motion that didn’t slip by Makoto’s notice.</p><p>“It’s just—dude, you’re actin’ all kinds of weird lately!” Ryuji said, his eyebrows knitting into a dispirited shape. “Didn’t reply to our texts at all, left us hangin' and in the end stood us up—” </p><p>“I know, and I’m sorry again, but—” </p><p>“That’s not the point! We’re worried about you, Ren! We’re thinking you’re hiding something from us—something bad!” </p><p>The concern in Ann’s eyes was plain. Ren struggled to hold her gaze. </p><p>“There shouldn’t be any secret between us,” Yusuke said in a dignified voice. “You know we’ll always support you no matter what.”</p><p>“What Inari said.”</p><p>“Please let us help you… You shouldn’t feel like you always have to shoulder everything all alone…” </p><p>Different as they were, Ren saw the same flame alight within seven pairs of eyes. </p><p>His friends seemed worried about him… Genuinely so.</p><p>It was a touching reassurance to know that they would always have his back, that they would be by his side no matter what… And yet, he knew their promise would be seriously put to the test despite how confident they were in its solidity if they found out about his secret. Ren couldn’t afford them to, not just because he wanted to keep it only between Akechi and himself, but because there was no doubt the start of his friends’ knowledge would mean the end of Ren’s idyllic life.</p><p>“Can we sit down?” Haru asked hesitantly, and made to do so – only to freeze in her tracks, her lips parting as Ren instinctively blocked her path. He realized his mistake one second too late. </p><p>“You <em> are </em>hiding something from us, aren’t you?” Makoto said, eyes narrowing. “Why are you so intent on pushing us away from Leblanc?” </p><p>“Right, even the other day at the arcade, you kept saying we couldn’t come to Leblanc anymore…” Futaba muttered, her gaze shifting elsewhere. “You won’t even allow Mona…”</p><p>“You can tell us everythin’, man… What’s up?”</p><p>Ren couldn’t help but pace backward a step.</p><p>The insistence of his friends was overwhelming; any way he looked at it, he couldn’t see how to diffuse the situation. It was obvious they wouldn’t leave before getting an explanation – and he had an inkling none of them would be satisfied with the flimsy kind.</p><p>Ren was torn from his thoughts the moment Ann skirted around him and made her way toward the middle of the room. This is when he betrayed himself.</p><p>“Ah, don’t—”</p><p>“Don’t what?” Ann retorted as she threw him a suspicious look, looking quite unimpressed with the way he had instinctively extended his hand at her. “Just what’s wrong with you, Ren?”</p><p>“Nothing’s wrong—you’re all just imagining things, really. I’ve been very busy those past days, and—”</p><p>“Busy doing what?” Morgana asked, hopping onto the counter.</p><p>“Um… Well—<em>please wait!” </em></p><p>But it was far too late; Ann was already three steps into the staircase, peeking around the corner at him.</p><p>“Sorry, Ren… If you won’t share your problem with us, then we’ll have to find out ourselves. Trust us already!”</p><p>And on those words, she climbed the stairs at a brisk pace; Ren trotted after her, his heart stuck in his throat to the point of feeling sick. The rest of the Thieves followed closely behind, curiosity and wariness etched upon each face.</p><p>“I know we’re barging in,” Ann was saying, looking over her shoulder at Ren, “and we’ll apologize as much as we need later. But Ren, you’ve got to understand how worried we are about you. So just—huh…?”<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
Time stopped.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
Where sound had been rumbling, there was now an astonished silence.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
“What the… What is this…?”</p><p>Ann gave words to everyone else’s thoughts.</p><p>All of them stood rooted to the spot on the landing, Ren bringing up the rear. The bewilderment was at its peak.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
There wasn’t a single inch on the floor that wasn’t occupied by a colorful balloon.</p><p>Huge bags filled the attic, revealing pretty confetti that sparkled in the light. Others were filled to the brim with what seemed to be streamers of all kinds.</p><p>And most of all, hanging from the beams and standing out against the plain, dark walls, was a huge, cut-out banner spelling out the words—</p><p> </p><p><br/>
<b>HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANN</b>
</p><p> </p><p><b><br/>
</b>“That’s why I tried to keep you all away from Leblanc.”</p><p>Ren's voice came from behind everyone’s backs. It was undecipherable.</p><p>“I mean, Ann’s birthday is coming up soon,” he continued, “so I wanted to surprise her with a party. I guess it won’t be a surprise anymore now that you found out, though…”</p><p>“So this whole time…” Ann muttered, a hand over her mouth, “you were organizing a party for me…?”</p><p>“Right. I just got the decorations delivered to me and was checking them out to see how they looked first before starting to set them up downstairs, and then…”<br/>
<br/>
“And then we ruined your efforts,” Haru finished, looking deeply doleful. “Oh, we’re so sorry…”</p><p>“But why didn’t you let the rest of us know?” Makoto asked as she turned to face him directly, traces of suspicion still lingering within her eyes, although they were noticeably fainter. “This entire situation could have been avoided…”</p><p>“I wanted it to remain secret,” Ren replied with a shrug. “I mean, the more people who know, the more likely it is that someone accidentally spills something, right?”</p><p>All eyes, unsurprisingly, turned to Ryuji. He reacted with a ‘Hey!’ of outrage.</p><p>“I understand your sentiment,” Yusuke said, looking stricken, “and I apologize on behalf of us all for intruding and ruining your surprise, but I do wish you told us at least privately. This way, we could have given you a hand…”</p><p>“It’s all right. I was fine on my own, really—you wouldn’t have needed to bother.”</p><p>An angelic smile lit Ren’s face; an awkward silence filled the air. It seemed none of the Thieves seemed to know what to do with themselves, looking bashful, guilty and apologetic all at once.</p><p>“Sorry…” Futaba mumbled, looking at her feet – triggering everyone else to follow her example. Ren felt like he uttered every variation possible of ‘No problem’ before they stopped bowing.</p><p>“And, by the way…” Ann said as they climbed down the stairs, turning to look at him. “Thanks, really… for thinking of my birthday.”</p><p>“And count us all in for the party!” Ryuji exclaimed, grinning at him. “I mean, unless Akechi’s there—just thinkin’ of that stupid grand air he’d give himself makes me want to puke. He better not show up.”</p><p>Ren answered with a kind smile.</p><p>Escorting his friends to the door and once again responding to their apologies with words of reassurance, Ren waved them goodbye with a glint in his eyes.</p><p>A glint that vanished, giving way to an emotionless expression as Ren quietly closed the door and faced the empty Leblanc.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
He had a lot of catching up to do.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
The shutter door ground to life with a loud rattle.</p><p>It was, frankly, quite a grating sound; even so, it sounded like music to Ren’s ears.</p><p>Whistling a cheerful little tune, Ren slipped below the opening and stepped inside, taking care to immediately lower the shutter once more. The faint rectangles of light that had managed to filter within were immediately snubbed out again, replaced by the harsh rays of white neons – as though they were greeting him.</p><p>Ren felt the silly, dumbstruck grin tug at his lips anew.</p><p>To any other person, the sight unfolding before him would have been one of a small and rather unremarkable warehouse. It was almost empty, save for some shelves of miscellaneous and sizeable items near the walls.</p><p>To him, however, this place was a hidden jewel among the dull, grey sea, a corner of peace within Tokyo’s tiresome concrete jungle; if Leblanc’s attic was heaven, then this warehouse was the garden leading to it.</p><p>“I’m back~”</p><p>Ren approached the sole mattress in the room with a spring to his step, feeling his heart give its usual bounce as he met those gorgeous maroon eyes.</p><p>“It was close, but I’m pretty sure we’ll be finally left in peace from now on. I have no idea what I’d have done if Iwai-san—you know, the airsoft store owner—didn’t have this warehouse to lend me. I sure owe him one… It definitely pays to do favors once in a while, huh? Good thing he never asks too many questions either.”</p><p>Akechi didn’t respond: the gag ball forbade him to.</p><p>His eyes were a glintless, vacant shade. Hope was gone.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Despite how cunning the way he dealt with the PT by using Ann was, Ren genuinely likes his friends, really.</p><p>He just likes Goro even more... much to Goro's dismay........</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Love 6 - FIRESTARTER</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>For those who might not know yet, I'm done with <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/8665855/chapters/19866451">Succession's rewrite,</a> meaning I can finally focus on Lovesick again! Sorry for the wait!</p><p>I CAN’T believe what I wrote in this chapter. As always, reminder this is a darkfic, so be wary of everything it entails…!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>In the eighteen years of his life, Akechi Goro had never felt so close to the edge of hopelessness.</p><p>He could see it: the mere inches separating him from the void, the dozens of hands dragging him slowly over the cliff, the inky blackness greeting him as far as the eye could see, and then…<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
The free fall.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
Because this is how it felt like – the fall into a world in which despair ruled all, the crashing into the ice cold sea, the bubbles slithering up the sides of his face, the gurgle of water as his head sank beneath the surface…</p><p>And there was nothing to grab on, not a hand to catch, not even a single light to reach out to. All that remained was the dark sea, swallowing and swallowing and swallowing… until there was nothing more.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
His entire life as he knew it was over. He had entirely succumbed, long drowned into the depths – and as for what awaited him from this point onwards…<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
“Come on, open wide~”<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
…he could only assume the worst.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
A gorgeous sushi (fatty tuna, Goro noticed – the most expensive and flavorful kind) grazed his lips; Amamiya forced them apart by gently pressing into the hollows of Goro’s cheeks and slipped the sushi in. Goro chewed slowly and mechanically, finding it futile to struggle anymore: if Amamiya decided something, it might as well be considered already done.</p><p>“It’s good, right?” Amamiya said cheerfully, clicking his chopsticks together in search for the next piece to feed him. “Here, try this one too—”</p><p>As Goro complied blankly without protest, two things cemented into his mind:</p><p>He saw no way out of this situation at all.</p><p>And Amamiya was completely insane.</p><p>Goro had no idea how Amamiya managed to conceal his true nature for so long; he would be lying if he said he suspected even a hint of it since the day they met. Not even in his craziest dreams could he have entertained the idea that Amamiya was so twisted, so beyond human morality and standards… So disconnected with the notions of good and evil. Goro knew this was a rather rich thought, coming from him, but every single one of his actions were always committed with a clear head; he never claimed to be part of the noble and kind. He was all too aware of the atrocity of his crimes, and justified them not out of some warped sense of good, but rather because they were a means to an end.</p><p>Amamiya, meanwhile, seemed nowhere near as conscious of his depraved mind; if he did, he hid it well. The way he whistled a little tune as he fed him, the way his entire face lit up with genuine sparkles each time he took pictures of him, the way an enamored gloss glazed his eyes whenever he contemplated him… </p><p>His mind was gone. Perhaps it had never been there in the first place.</p><p>“You’re being so good, Akechi. I’m glad you’re finally eating properly—you’ll regain all this weight you lost in no time.”</p><p>Goro couldn’t detect any trace of fakeness in those words. Amamiya looked, seemed, acted sincerely relieved, genuinely worried about his health; the affection radiating off his very being told no lies.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
Goro felt sick.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
All his life, he had pursued love and tenderness, affection from his peers, from society, from the whole world – and now, someone was finally giving it all to him, beyond anything he could have hoped for. Devotion beyond measure.</p><p>He would have felt like the happiest person on Earth if it was similar to even a shred of the filth Amamiya had the nerve to call love.</p><p>Goro had no experience to base this on, but it was just common sense: Amamiya wasn’t in love with him. He was utterly obsessed, rather, carrying a deranged and perverted pleasure that robbed his sight from the true nature of his actions, rendering him either oblivious or unfazed to them like he lived in a world in which morals were nothing but a foreign concept.</p><p>This happy-go-lucky nature of his was what separated Amamiya from the already reprehensible criminal; he didn’t love Goro so much as he saw him as his plaything, a glorified doll he toyed with day after day and to cap it all off, he clearly saw nothing wrong with that…</p><p>“Here, a hot towel. Don’t move, I’ll wipe your mouth…”</p><p>His hand lingered on Goro’s cheek much too long for the gesture to be entirely innocent. </p><p>Goro couldn’t bear it any longer; it was just too humiliating, too invasive, he hated this from the bottom of his heart… But perhaps worse than the force-feeding or the sweet-talking, what repulsed him the most was… </p><p>“Ah, you got some rice stuck there. Wait a second—”</p><p>Amamiya leaned forward and licked the corner of Goro’s mouth in such a quick and unexpected motion that Goro’s heart leapt in surprise. He didn’t do anything to push Amamiya away, however – there was no point.</p><p>The hungry spell stealing over Amamiya’s features had returned, translated by half-lidded eyes and a slightly parted mouth as he swallowed the grain of rice. If Goro didn’t know any better, he might have thought Amamiya forgot to wipe it on purpose.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
…Goro sighed inwardly. Who was he kidding?<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
The lingering trace of saliva upon his face made him wish he could just disappear. The handcuffs around his wrists and ankles dug into his flesh, leaving them sore and raw. His muscles ached from the permanent discomfort of his posture, screaming for relief that wouldn’t come. The lights within his mind had all turned off, leaving nothing but a white haze that sucked every last ounce of his reason and willpower to spit it back out into the void. </p><p>He just wanted to return to a normal life… Wanted to go home…</p><p>“You’re spacing out, Akechi.”</p><p>Amamiya’s voice had the effect of a shout. Goro blinked, yanked back to reality as if dragged by his hair – yanked back to this unfathomable situation.</p><p>“You’re with me? I was saying you’ll be alone on Saturday—two days from now. I have to attend Ann’s birthday the entire day, so…”</p><p>Sadness flashed over his features. Goro could have perked up slightly at this piece of good news if there was even a shard of his spirit left around.</p><p>“That’s why I’ll make sure we spend as much time as possible during those two days. Making up for the time we won’t see each other, you know?”</p><p>The hungry glaze glossing his eyes was whole.</p><p>Goro didn’t even dare imagine what sorts of thoughts set it alight.</p><p>The hours seemed to tick on at an agonizingly slow pace; Goro no longer had any notion of time at this point. He didn’t know how long it had been since Amamiya captured him anymore. He had no idea how the outside world held up, no idea if anyone was even worried about him or noticed his peculiar absence, no idea what measures Amamiya had taken to explain said disappearance… Goro’s brain was closer to mere decoration at this point. The drugs perpetually swimming in his veins made all thoughts a challenge to spin and make alive; he was now nothing more than an empty shell of a man.</p><p>“What’s wrong? You’re shaking hard. I guess the warehouse<em> is </em> kind of cold…”</p><p>Goro would have liked it if the low temperature of the warehouse was the sole reason for his shivering.</p><p>Amamiya stood up and disappeared from Goro’s sight, soon returning with a blanket which he wasted no time in covering his body with. It was soft and warm, already repelling the cold consuming him; in any other circumstances, Goro would have been grateful for this thoughtfulness. Today, he just felt disgusted.</p><p>“You’re not getting sick, are you? …No, you don’t seem to have a fever. That’s good.”</p><p>Amamiya brushed Goro’s bangs out of his face, apparently unable to stop himself from caressing his cheek while he was at it.</p><p>Goro could take no more.</p><p>“Stop that…” he groaned, jerking his head, which proved to be effective; Amamiya pulled his hand back like he burned himself on a sizzling hot plate.</p><p>“Are you mad at me?” Amamiya said after a short silence, a doleful trace crossing his expression. It was infuriating.</p><p>“Of course I am… I wish you’d just disappear…”<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
Silence settled in.</p><p>Amamiya’s features vanished beyond the light flare streaking over his glasses for a split second.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
For the space of a heartbeat, Goro’s stomach lurched; Amamiya was so unpredictable he might have worsened the situation without meaning to. His eyes widened every so slightly, peering at Amamiya with all their might in search of the single twitch or blink that could betray what Amamiya would do next.</p><p>In the end, his reaction was nothing like the depravities Goro had imagined – if he were honest, it was actually better than he could have hoped.</p><p>“…That’s a bit harsh.”</p><p>Looking supremely dejected, Amamiya sighed and stood up, hobbling away like he was just punched in the stomach. Goro glowered at him, until his lips parted; the light of day cascaded into the warehouse as Amamiya opened the shutter door and hastened to slip underneath.</p><p>“I’ll come back when you’re in a better mood. Try to rest until then, okay?”</p><p>It was a matter of seconds before the shutter closed once more. All that remained was the garish, straining glow from the neon lights; a mockery of the actual daylight teasing him just outside those impenetrable walls.</p><p>Goro didn’t know if he would feel it upon his skin ever again.</p><p>Giving a long exhale, Goro let his body go limp once more, his cheek pressed against the mattress. It felt like every single nerve in his arms, wrists and ankles were protesting against the soreness plaguing them…</p><p>It was the sort of situation in which he wished he could call Loki or Robin Hood; they would have severed his binds right away, and he could have escaped thanks to their aid. Of course, there was no way to do that, not in the real world—<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
Goro’s eyes opened wide.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
The cobwebs slowing his brain down seemed to clear in that instant, giving way not to outright clarity, but not complete lethargy either.</p><p>He needed a place in which he could flee from Amamiya, and more importantly, be able to defend himself on equal grounds… And he knew such a place. He knew the place that could be his salvation, despite the dangers it represented; it all seemed laughable in the face of the threat Amamiya posed.</p><p>The question was how to access it… How to access the other world… </p><p>His phone was a no-go: he had no idea where Amamiya put it. And even if it was within arm’s reach, he couldn’t do anything with his hands tied; he would have to free himself somehow… but without help, how could he manage?<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
Never did Goro feel so alone than in that very moment.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
He felt abandoned, forsaken by the whole world in his time of need. Nobody was coming to rescue him: Amamiya had made sure of that, no doubt. Judging from what he said earlier, it was safe to assume the Phantom Thieves had not the slightest clue about what was going on, not to mention Amamiya had clearly managed to cover his tracks. After the incident with the recorded message, Sae-san was probably waiting for Goro to call first… And he didn’t feel a single drop of hope when it came to his classmates, teachers, agency or the police. As for Shido…</p><p>Goro’s heart tightened.</p><p>He hurried to chase the thought out of his head before it could sink its roots deep within.</p><p>His eyelids were heavy.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
…He didn’t know how much time passed until he sensed a presence by his side.</p><p>He figured he must have fallen asleep; the only thing he could do given the circumstances. His sluggish mind struggled to catch up.</p><p>But what greeted him once he opened his eyes… was akin to being electrified awake.</p><p>“What the… What are you doing—”</p><p>“Ah, you woke up. Did you sleep well?”</p><p>Amamiya looked extremely proud of himself, like one would after a task well done. Dozens – no, hundreds of candles right off the floor, speckled with rose petals all around, dotted the entire warehouse. Goro had to twist his neck to look all around him, his eyes widening a bit more with each decoration they fell on: it was like a twisted set-up for Valentine’s Day, only missing the draped table and fancy champagne and food… </p><p>“Do you like it? I figured this would improve your mood,” Amamiya said, once again with this maddening carefree and oblivious tone. “It took me a while to set it all up. Doesn’t the warehouse feel much more romantic now?”</p><p>Goro couldn’t have found the words to describe the maelstrom of emotions rushing through his mind even if his life depended on it. It was like his voice had been stolen from him, quite literally, and all he could manage was a horrified, silent sound.</p><p>“I’ll put some music too,” Amamiya went on, taking his phone out. Moments later, a jazzy, sensual tune went up in the air; Goro would have laughed at the absurdity of the situation if he had been able.</p><p>“Do you have even a fingertip’s-worth of a grip on your sanity left…?” he couldn’t help but ask, finding an unwilling, wry smile tug at one corner of his lips. “Or have you really lost it completely…?”</p><p>“What do you mean?” Amamiya asked, his round, blinking eyes speaking of innocence. Goro hated not being able to punch him in the face. “I just wanted you to be in the mood, that’s all.”</p><p>“In the mood for what?” Goro asked venomously.</p><p>“Well, you know…”</p><p>Amamiya averted his gaze in a hurry, but there was no concealing the blush mottling on his face. It wasn’t too different from a school girl being invited to a Christmas party.</p><p>Goro felt the color bleed from his face.</p><p>Amamiya couldn’t possibly be serious. He just couldn’t.</p><p>“Don’t you—don’t you dare get your hands on me—”</p><p>“I love you, Akechi.”<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
Silence fell upon the scene.</p><p>Time seemed to freeze in that one moment.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
“You don’t seem to believe me, though. That’s why I want to show you the ultimate proof that I do.”</p><p>Amamiya’s eyes were no longer conveying pure, chaste love.</p><p>They carried the looming of a lust that finally went overboard after being repressed for so long. Amamiya clearly couldn’t hold it in anymore.</p><p>“I want to make one with you,” he said, his voice noticeably different; barely above a whisper, a husky tone akin to a breath. “I want to make you feel good—I want to hold you forever.”</p><p>There was a click of steel, and Goro’s eyes widened: Amamiya had freed both his wrists and ankles, discarding the handcuffs aside. He lay his phone on the floor as well, right by the mattress, allowing the music to envelop them whole.</p><p>“You’re injured,” Amamiya murmured, climbing on top of Goro and grabbing his hands. “…Sorry.”</p><p>Goro could only gape in frozen astonishment as Amamiya peppered his marked wrists with kisses; his mind couldn’t keep up anymore. This was too overwhelming, too impossible, too insane, too unacceptable, too…</p><p>“Just… Just what are you doing…” Goro muttered, seeing spirals cloud his sight as everything seemed to suddenly spin, robbing him of his faculty to reason. He tried to push Amamiya off, but to no avail: his weight kept him pinned down.</p><p>“If only you could see how cute you look right now,” Amamiya said in an almost deranged voice, blinded by this twisted, repulsive love of his. “I want this face all over my Akechi shrine… All over Leblanc’s attic, even. Not just the walls.”</p><p>His gaze was hazy. There was no reasoning with him anymore, and even so, Goro tried with all his might, his pleading fueled by desperation.</p><p>“Stop that… Amamiya…!”</p><p>“Not Amamiya. Ren.”</p><p>Goro struggled the best he could, but his efforts were for naught. Amamiya leaned closer, and Goro jolted out of his skin; a ticklish, very feathery touch caressed his Adam’s apple, until a series of kisses, each stronger than the last, ran alongside his throat and then returned to the crook of his neck. They eventually shifted to a rougher pressure as Amamiya suddenly and greedily sucked and licked the sensitive skin, like he was finally tasting food after being deprived of it for weeks. Despite himself, Goro moaned.</p><p>“Does that feel good?” Amamiya asked in between two licks and nibbles. “It does, doesn’t it? You’re all red. So cute…”</p><p>Goro shook his head, slowly but surely falling prey to the hiss of smoke on the horizon of his mind threatening to swallow it whole. He felt completely vulnerable, completely helpless, he had no idea what to do, he didn’t want this, he had to escape somehow, he had to…<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
As Goro turned his head aside, unable to bear seeing Amamiya’s face anymore, he saw it.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
Amamiya’s phone, inches away from him, had lit up.</p><p>The Otherworld Navi was maximized upon the screen.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
Goro stared, utterly dumbfounded, not comprehending.</p><p>And like a spell was broken, the thousand gears inside his mind began to turn again. A stampede, an explosion, a festival of fireworks – none of those terms could convey even a hundredth of whatever was happening inside every last cell of his brain.</p><p>Instinctively, Goro reached out – until his heart jerked inside his chest, caught off-guard as Amamiya took his hand and intertwined their fingers together. The next moment, their lips met, and Goro let out a muffled gasp.</p><p>The sensation was just as stomach-churning as the first time it happened; it made Goro feel sick, like he was already being violated. Amamiya parted his lips with little effort, finding Goro’s tongue and encircling it eagerly with his own. Goro let him do as he pleased, managing no strength to even try to writhe anymore; he squeezed his eyes shut, sensing the mist drown out his senses, sensing his mind leave him again as he succumbed…</p><p>“I’m… I’m a bit nervous, to be honest,” Amamiya said, breaking their kiss and staring at Goro directly in the eyes. “It’s my first time, you see…”</p><p>His flush was crimson at this point, and Goro didn’t think he fared any better. Amamiya’s next words, however, were the ones to stun him like he had just received a blow to the head.</p><p>“Speaking of that, I was wondering… Is it your first time too? I mean, it’s okay if it’s not, but…”</p><p>Goro responded with a whimper, finding himself reaching his wit’s end – this was just too much. His head went light for a split second, but he couldn’t allow himself to pass out, he just couldn’t. His dignity depended on it.</p><p>“No answer? No need to be shy, you know. I won’t judge.”</p><p>Amamiya pressed his lips against Goro’s again as he added, “But I’m sure I can guess. I mean, the cute sounds you made when I kissed your neck… I can tell you have no experience.”</p><p>He seemed immensely pleased with himself at this revelation, like he had just discovered an ancient civilization unknown to mankind until then and wallowing in the fame and praise it elicited. Goro whimpered again, feeling unbearably hot, sensing beads of sweat begin to form on his forehead – and when Amamiya suddenly pressed his hand in between Goro’s legs, he felt his breath stop.</p><p>Goro unwillingly let out a moan, torn in half between pleasure and distress as Amamiya intensified the pressure into a very slow, torturous massage. It was too intense, too mind-numbing, unlike anything he ever felt before; Goro felt like he was going insane, frowning and gasping and yelping all at the same time, his quick breathing coming as heavy panting. His entire body seemed to be on fire, culminating in boiling-hot lava upon his face… And given Amamiya’s unhinged, almost maniacal grin on his lips, his pleasure at playing with Goro’s body clearly was beyond romance; it was pure fetishism at this point.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<em> Stop… </em> <em><br/>
</em> <em><br/>
</em> <em><br/>
</em> Still groping him, Amamiya used his free hand to unzip Goro’s tracksuit, revealing his pale, quivering and weakened chest. Amamiya’s grin widened, as though he were contemplating the grand prize. The shock hit Goro head on.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<em> I don’t want this… Please stop… </em> <em><br/>
</em> <em><br/>
</em> <em><br/>
</em>Goro could sense a trickle of drool escape his lips. He didn’t dare imagine how his face looked like in that moment; anything not to die from embarrassment and shame. The flush upon his skin had reached his ears; they were burning white-hot.</p><p>He couldn’t end up like this… He had to flee, he had to escape, he had to balance out the odds in his favors… Right now, he was entirely powerless…</p><p>Anything to protect himself… Anything to reject those who toyed with him like he was a brainless doll…<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
A mere doll…</p><p>A mere puppet.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
“STOP!”<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
Amamiya’s eyes widened in surprise – until they flew open as Goro kneed him in the stomach, the blow so strong it seemed to suck all the air out of Amamiya’s lungs for a few seconds. Shoving him aside, Goro leapt to his feet with an energy that shouldn’t have been, grabbed Amamiya’s phone and checked the history of the Otherworld Navi. A gasp escaped him as his eyes fell upon the first listing.</p><p>His brain wasn’t entirely done processing it as Goro was knocked from behind, dropping Amamiya’s phone on the floor. Features etched with nothing but incomprehension and hurt were the first things he saw as he turned around; both Amamiya’s voice and breathing were strained.</p><p>“What… was that for…?”</p><p>Amamiya retrieved his phone; Goro ground his teeth, hard.</p><p>“What were you trying to do…? Why are you being so difficult…?”</p><p>The intense feeling of betrayal burning in Amamiya’s eyes was palpable. Goro could have cheated on him shamelessly and his reaction would have been the same.</p><p>“Why can’t you understand that I want to make you happy? Why can’t you see that I don’t want to hurt you? That I only have your best interests at heart?”</p><p>Amamiya took a step forward, his eyes widening with each accusation he spat. His pale face was unlike anything Goro ever saw before; the outrage and resentment shaking Amamiya’s frame were more ominous than if he had started screaming in fury.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
The next moment, Amamiya lunged.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
Goro startled and leapt backwards, his foot knocking one of the candles away. He paused for the space of an instant before snapping out of his trance as Amamiya closed his hand on him; Goro elbowed him in the jaw and dashed away toward the panel operating the shutter, only for a loud swear to fly out of his mouth: it was locked.</p><p>“Urgh… Come on, be reasonable… You just need to give me a chance!”</p><p>The desperation in Amamiya’s voice did nothing to mellow out Goro’s urgency; if anything, it fanned it. Goro dodged Amamiya’s next grab and sprinted to the furthest wall of the warehouse, his heart hurling itself against his ribs: there was no exit at all, nowhere to run or hide…<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
The Otherworld Navi flashed across his mind.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
Amamiya’s phone was still in his possession. But there was no way he would let it go, not when his attention was on Goro whole.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
Guided by some wild, frantic spirit, Goro rummaged through the shelves, tossing and shoving whatever pieces of junk and useless items were stored there; overtaken by an urge to vomit born from distress and fear, Goro inhaled heavy gulps of air, never stopping his distraught research despite all—</p><p>This is when he spotted it.</p><p>The key to his salvation.</p><p>Goro stopped thinking. In the blink of an eye, he snatched the gas can from the shelf and ran, ran as fast as his legs could carry him, stubbornly ignoring the stitch starting to stab his side; he unscrewed the plug and poured the gasoline on the floor, dashing in erratic patterns all around the warehouse. He could hear Amamiya’s confusion made manifest behind his back, but for all the care he gave, Amamiya might as well have been quiet.</p><p>When their eyes met, Amamiya’s perplexed gaze connected with a feral snarl.</p><p>Goro kicked three, six, ten, thirteen candles into the gasoline, which ignited immediately: Amamiya gasped, much closer to the flames than Goro was, and covered his face. The plan had worked.</p><p>With a roar, he launched himself at Amamiya, taking advantage of his distraction to swipe his phone; heart about to burst, he opened the Otherworld Navi once more and shoved the phone to his lips.</p><p>“Amamiya Ren, Akechi shrine, Leblanc’s attic—hurry the <em> hell </em>up!”</p><p>The Otherworld Navi didn’t need telling twice; the next moment, the world rippled all around and Goro sensed his body depart. The sigh of relief he was about to give was cut very much short, however; eyes opening wide, Goro threw himself behind the nearest pillar, holding his breath upon catching a glimpse of a black-haired youth in the distance. The glow to his eyes shone an eerie, ominous yellow.</p><p>“Seems a little inconvenience happened in the real world…” the voice said, and Goro could hear the clicking of heels echo louder and louder as they approached. “Want to play hide-and-seek, don’t you, Akechi? Fine by me… Let’s play.”</p><p>The footsteps relented, until they were replaced by the singing of crickets during summer nights.</p><p>Goro risked a glance behind the pillar. Beyond lay the picture of an immense, grotesque building that looked like nothing else so much as a museum: dozens of giant banners and statues adorned its walls… Each a perfect reproduction of Goro.</p><p>A slow drop of sweat trickled down Goro’s back.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Well… How many of you expected that? </p><p>Yes, this fic was a “Ren has a Palace” fic all along… Surprise!</p><p>EDIT: I changed the title from "HIDE-AND-SEEK" to "FIRESTARTER," as I felt it fit this chapter much better. I apologize for the confusion that may ensue!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Love 7 - DEATH TRAP</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Despite the pleasant breeze carrying the fragrance of summer across the warm night, the chill preying upon Goro’s body was real and whole.</p><p>He had seen his fair share of oddities in the other world… But none could even begin to match the utter incomprehension alive in his veins as he stood up and properly took in the building standing tall before him. The easiest way to describe it might not exactly be a museum like he initially thought, but rather some sort of fun house or even giant theme store in which the merchandise was made in Goro’s image. Far from the majestic and ethereal temples of Japan, crude neon lights glowed against the night sky, akin to the colorful beacons of theme parks. Bouquets of balloons (brown, green, white and black, Goro noted as he took a sharp intake of breath) launched into the atmosphere, their source impossible to identify. His own face smiled and waved brightly at him from the giant banners covering the building and dozens of his life-like statues, so realistic they seemed almost alive…</p><p>Goro snorted. His narrow, creased eyes reflected nothing but pure disgust.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. </p><p>He couldn’t comprehend that<em> he </em>was the source of whatever insanity was unfolding before his eyes.</p><p>An Akechi Goro-themed Palace… It felt so wrong he wasn’t sure he believed it even as the spotlights glowed on. To be frank, he would have much preferred to remain ignorant of the whole thing rather than witness even an inch of it. His sight was scorched with this image forever, branded there with no hope of ever being wiped out clean. It would stay with him for the rest of his life.</p><p>…A life he would be foolish to risk now, given the circumstances.</p><p>Not that he believed his life was in danger – rather, his notion of <em> living </em> itself was. No matter what happened, he could never, ever allow Amamiya or whoever else to catch him again… He would never willingly return to those wretched, nightmarish days of captivity he was supposed to call his new life…</p><p>But as Amamiya’s ominous words, no, his <em> Shadow’s, </em>seemed to echo against his eardrums like he was right there, inches away from him, Goro wondered if he might not have made a mistake by coming here.</p><p>
  <em> Talk about jumping headfirst into the lion’s den… </em>
</p><p>He just hadn’t been thinking straight then: desperation had fueled his mind first, his body second. He could have escaped anywhere, such as Mementos, but the urgency of the situation had left him with not even a second to spare – rationality hadn’t been an option.</p><p>…And he would be lying if he pretended he wasn’t already regretting it.</p><p>Then again…<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<em> “So this is how you reform someone? By stealing their Treasure?” </em></p><p><em> “Yeah. As soon as the Treasure’s stolen, the target has a change of heart. Their Palace will collapse, too.” </em> <em><br/>
</em> <em><br/>
</em> <em><br/>
</em>This memory of chatting with Amamiya, which felt like it had happened eons ago, bobbed vivid and true within Goro’s mind.</p><p>…What was he supposed to do?</p><p>It wasn’t like he could return to the real world: the only thing waiting for him there would be a burning, locked warehouse at best; an unhinged Amamiya at worst. This meant his other options were…</p><p>
  <em> Either kill him… Or change his heart… </em>
</p><p>Goro shook his head, dismissing the first option the second it flashed across his mind: however foreign this concept was in Goro’s eyes in that moment, Amamiya <em> was </em> the leader of the Phantom Thieves despite all… And Shido was still biding his time, still waiting to use the Phantom Thieves’ purpose to its full potential… Even though they apparently knew about Goro’s plan, that didn’t mean they automatically became useless as far as Shido was concerned. He would find a way to turn the odds in his favor again, there was no doubt about it… In fact, removing the leader from the equation might come at even more severe a price than anything Goro could imagine; so long as he didn’t have Shido’s approval, it was not his place to take such a severe decision. For the time being, Amamiya would have to live – a realization that Goro welcomed with another snort.</p><p>“Changing his heart, huh…”</p><p>While he did witness the Phantom Thieves steal Sae-san’s Treasure, he couldn’t pretend he felt too at ease with doing it on his own. It would be a different story if the Thieves guided him along the way to make sure he didn’t mess up, but the thought was chased away from his mind with an impatient jerk of the head nearly at once: as always, Goro could only rely on himself, and himself alone.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<em> “Are you okay, Crow? Here, take my hand.” </em></p><p>
  <em> “You really went all out, huh? Almost as much as me.” </em>
</p><p><em> “Damn, you wiped the floor with them. Don’t get cocky on me, though—I won’t fall behind.” </em><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
The frown upon Goro’s features deepened.</p><p>The time he spent surrounded by teammates seemed like it belonged to another life altogether. Like those weren’t Goro’s memories, but actually those of an entirely different person.</p><p>“Ugh… Amamiya, you stupid idiot…”</p><p>Goro squeezed his eyes shut and ground his teeth, overwhelmed by a cocktail of emotions he wanted gone.</p><p>He wouldn’t forgive him.</p><p>For ruining everything… He would make Amamiya pay.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
Taking a deep, long breath, Goro opened his eyes and faced the building again.</p><p>The chirping of crickets in the absolute silence across the summer night sounded deafening.</p><p>He took a step forward, then another – until he stood face to face with the double gate.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
It opened with a heavy, plaintive groan.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
The lobby beyond was greeted by a blank stare.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
As far as the eye could see and the ear could pick up, there were only bright colors and merry tunes assaulting Goro’s senses, reminding him of an excessively cheerful playground. Happy suns hung from the ceiling, which mimicked a blue sky sprinkled with cartoonish clouds. Large sofas had been left seemingly at random, each more gaudy than the last. The carpet sported the striped colors of the rainbow, but most notable was the walls: there wasn’t a single square inch that wasn’t occupied by a flat screen. Dozens, perhaps even hundreds of them broadcast Goro’s own face like they were moving pictures; Goro approached one of them at random, feeling his stomach contract into a slight knot as he watched himself take a curious bite out of a chocolate cake and then smile brightly in approval at the person accompanying him.</p><p>Exactly like on that day when Amamiya accompanied him at that café in Kichijoji.</p><p>The other screens were the same. What felt like casual outings for Goro were apparently much beyond that in Amamiya’s opinion. His eyes were the camera; his mind was the footage. All of them were stored, intact and preserved, in every last recess of his brain, and his Palace did the rest.</p><p>The half-naked Goro after the long bath they took not too long ago gave Goro a beaming smile, which Goro responded to with a grim line for lips. He didn’t miss the way the camera lingered on his bare chest much longer than it probably should. With a sound of pure scorn, Goro whipped around and swept his sight across his surroundings, stopping it on the only other door of the room, and drew closer.</p><p>Not bothering to throw one last look over his shoulder, Goro pushed the door open.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
He couldn’t help a gasp.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
Two, five, even eight pairs of eyes might not have been enough to properly register the vastness of the room, bigger than a hangar, and more especially what it contained: Goro’s gaze darted from point to point like his head was moving of its own accord, reflecting dozens, no, hundreds of bodies stored in what seemed to be window displays. Rows, rows and rows of them stretched all around from floor to ceiling and Goro stared at it all, mouth agape and eyes rounder than saucers. He tentatively approached, until he was within arm’s reach of the nearest window – peering at those dormant copies of himself.</p><p>There wasn’t a single body around whose eyes were open. They all seemed plunged in a deep slumber, several wearing some manner of a smile on their faces. None of them donned the same outfit twice: in addition to Goro’s usual clothes, a wide variety of ridiculous costumes and extravagant garments were showcased on every single body he could see, many of them eerily similar to those Amamiya had him wear in the real world… </p><p>Goro betrayed a movement of repulsion. What struck him as most odd, however, was the empty spots here and there, like some of those mannequins, for lack of a better word, had just up and walked away.</p><p>“Welcome to the happiest place on Earth!”</p><p>Goro jumped out of his skin, whirling around so fast he thought he might have strained a muscle in his neck, and startled once more upon meeting this gaze: identical to his in its maroon shade, light years away in the expression it conveyed.</p><p>“What the…” he stammered, struggling to recover his voice even as it seemed to elude him. “Who are you…?”</p><p>But Goro realized he knew before he asked: the entity’s answer only repeated what he already figured out by himself.</p><p>“I’m what Ren-kun deems the most precious in his heart,” replied the being, and Goro swore he could see sparkles flying off his manner. “This entire place is a testimony of his affection for me. It’s a bit embarrassing, but…”</p><p>A dark shadow stole over Goro’s features. So this Goro, and all the others around… They represented the way Amamiya pictured him. Cognitive beings, born from the perception of the host’s mind…</p><p>The entity’s smile widened. His eyes formed two bright, large crescents, but Goro would rather die than return even a shadow of it. A great wave of disdain washed over him as he looked the being up and down, noticing the checked pants, the tight, white turtleneck and the suspenders. This was Shujin’s uniform, no doubt about it… Most likely—</p><p>“It suits me, doesn’t it?” the being asked, apparently mistaking the glower upon Goro’s face for a look of envy. “Ren-kun asked me to wear it. It sure is convenient we’re built almost the same.”</p><p>His expression then lightened into a wide, silly smile, almost like an excited puppy. A muscle spasmed in Goro’s jaw.</p><p>“And I see you’re wearing his tracksuit. It’s quite comfortable, right? But it seems he didn’t have shoes to lend you.”</p><p>Goro blinked. As he looked at himself, only then did it hit him.</p><p>He was indeed still wearing the red tracksuit and nothing else, not even a pair of socks. Neither his princely white costume nor his constricting armor had materialized – meaning Amamiya didn’t think of him as a threat.</p><p>A low growl escaped Goro’s throat. Amamiya was clueless, the utter fool.</p><p>“Where’s his Treasure,” he asked bluntly, not bothering with even the tiniest hint of formalities. The cognitive being tilted his head aside, not comprehending.</p><p>“His Treasure? I’m sorry, I don’t know what you’re talking about…”</p><p>If he was lying, he was quite the talented actor, Goro thought. It appeared he would have to turn the Palace upside down himself if he wanted to find Amamiya’s Treasure – much to his annoyance.</p><p>“Ah, where are you going?” said the cognitive being to his back: Goro wanted nothing more than to leave this horrible room. “Won’t you wait for Ren-kun?”</p><p>“If you think,” Goro couldn’t help but retort over his shoulder, “that I’m going to wait for Amamiya to get his hands on me—”</p><p><em> “Ren-kun,” </em>corrected the entity in a tone of reproach. “You know this is how he prefers we call him.”</p><p>The entity brought his hands to his face, giggling very much like a school girl prior to her first date. Goro’s creased forehead, deeply marked as it was, managed the feat of furrowing even further.</p><p>“I can’t wait for him to come back. Ah, it really is embarrassing, but he said we’d take a bath together,” the being said, a flush mottling his half-hidden cheeks. “I’m so looking forward to his reaction when he finds out I prepared an entire meal for him, and—”</p><p>But whatever he was going to say next was never uttered: only a groan of pain came instead as he was knocked off his feet and collapsed to the floor, his jaw bruising by the second on the spot where Goro had punched him. His tight knuckles pulsed with the blood rushing through his veins: he could feel every last drop, boiling hot, akin to lava itself…</p><p>
  <em> That bastard… I’ll beat him up so bad, he’ll wish I outright killed him instead… </em>
</p><p>Goro was fuming.</p><p>The idea that Amamiya saw him like this: a smitten, soppy, ridiculous, mawkish, sorry excuse for a human being, made him want to rip heads off.</p><p>Amamiya should consider himself very, <em> very </em> lucky that Goro couldn’t afford to do just that. For now, that is.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
Stomping to the next room, Goro slammed the door shut behind him, too outraged to care about the recklessness of his actions anymore. The layout of the Palace was quite strange: only one path so far, he noticed, with no side rooms at all, and curiously enough no Shadows around either. Goro found he was quite all right with this: fighting meant wasting time, not to mention nasty surprises could jump at him while he was busy defending himself. It did feel unusual, though… but Goro didn’t have to wonder long at why the Palace was deserted. Clearly, Amamiya cared little about the rest of the world… In fact, he cared about nothing except Goro.</p><p>A land where only he and Goro existed, while the Earth around was a mute, silent expense… This is what Goro made of this Palace.<br/>
<br/>
His bare feet tapped lightly upon the floor as Goro proceeded with caution, wariness written all over his face. This new room turned out to be a library, filled to the brim with more books than Goro ever saw in one single place. He wandered across the aisles at random, his pale hand brushing against each spine he passed:</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> 100 Fun Facts About Akechi Goro </em>
</p><p>
  <em>The Art Of Effortless Beauty: An Akechi Goro Case Study </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Akechi Goro, Or An Analysis Of The Perfect Balance Between Roughness And Cuteness </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Goro jerked his hand away from the last book like it was a venomous spider.</p><p>He might have chuckled if he wasn’t feeling so much like dying inside.</p><p>“Hey there.”</p><p>For the second time, Goro jumped about a foot in the air. A severe glare distorted his features as he turned to yell at whoever kept sneaking behind to<em> just stop that, </em> when his former surprise suddenly hit him like a ram again, coming back tenfold this time as utter shock.</p><p>“Found you, Akechi,” Amamiya’s Shadow purred, slamming a hand to the bookshelf right by Goro’s head. “How nice of you to stop by.”</p><p>For a moment, Goro was petrified. Not out of fear, but raw stupefaction. </p><p>A golden gaze stared straight into his own eyes, their depths glinting with something mischievous, except not the mischief usually associated with harmlessness: there was a dangerous edge to it, much more predatory than the enamored, giddy glances Amamiya had kept throwing at him. A more sly air, almost suave, almost seductive…  And with all that, more threatening.</p><p>More than Amamiya, Goro felt that this gaze belonged rather to Joker.</p><p>“I know what you did back there, you know. Boy, aren’t you a difficult one… But I’m sure you're aware I love a good challenge.”</p><p>Goro glared at him in defiance, as if provoking him into doing his best. This seemed to amuse the Shadow quite a bit, for he let out a little chuckle.</p><p>“Yeah… That’s the expression I love the best. Show it to me more, Akechi…”<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
It happened in an instant.</p><p>Amamiya’s Shadow reached out, his hand akin to a claw, but it was without taking into account Goro’s quick reflexes: he dodged the grab and leapt aside, putting enough distance between them both as he yelled:</p><p>“Come! Loki!”</p><p>A warm light flashed over Goro’s clothes as they dissolved to give way for his striped suit; his helmet, gauntlets and nebulous cape followed at once. Only his mask was missing, gone up in a blue flame as Loki answered his call and charged forward. Amamiya’s Shadow looked amazed, like he was contemplating the miracle of life itself. Goro had barely begun to wonder what caused this reaction when—</p><p>“Wh-Whoa!”</p><p>—when a long chain sprang out of nowhere and coiled tightly around his ankle, yanking him upwards; Goro instinctively swayed and flailed like a madman in the air as he struggled to get his bearings.</p><p>Even dangling upside down, however, he didn’t miss the way Amamiya’s Shadow sat down and gazed at him, his face radiating nothing but deep, twisted infatuation.</p><p>“So skintight…”</p><p>Goro swore he heard something inside his mind snap.</p><p>Letting out a loud swear, he writhed about wildly, commanding Loki to break the chain: the next moment, Goro rolled onto the floor and leapt to his feet, reaching for his mask once more. Amamiya’s Shadow was faster.</p><p>“Gotcha!”</p><p>In one quick motion, he gripped both of Goro’s wrists in his hands, a victorious little smirk spreading on his lips. The mark of the hunter catching his prey.</p><p>“So you had another Persona all along, huh? Talk about being secretive… What else are you hiding from me?”</p><p>Goro clenched his teeth, hard, and violently wrenched himself out of the Shadow’s grasp before starting into a sprint, his heart hammering so hard it was like it wanted to force its way out of his chest. He knew, in that moment, that he might have completely underestimated Amamiya’s Shadow. Compared to what Goro had expected, he was on a different level altogether… He had to temporarily retreat and figure out a plan, fast…</p><p>“Heh… Do your best, Akechi.”</p><p>Goro risked a glance over his shoulder, sensing his stomach lurch at the widening, evil grin stretching the Shadow’s lips. It had the effect of a whiplash: Goro picked up the pace, running for his life, until he gave an involuntary gasp: the chain Amamiya’s Shadow had conjured bolted again, aiming for his limbs and very narrowly missing him as Goro jumped out of the way.</p><p>“Oh… Close one.”</p><p>The longer the chase went on, the louder and madder his quips were: it couldn’t be more obvious how much fun he was having playing this game of cat and mouse. Sensing a stitch claw into his side, Goro dashed around the corner and grabbed the first book he could put his hand on – then threw it with all his strength at the Shadow, who blocked it effortlessly. He was about to taunt Goro again when his eyes widened ever so slightly: he hadn’t realized he fell for the distraction.</p><p>With a groan, Goro slammed into the large bookshelf with all his body weight, sending it swaying before another impact finished the job and made it crumble. A short gasp rang out beyond, but for all the care Goro took, it might not have happened at all: he was already scampering toward the exit, running so fast he felt like he was flying, throwing himself at the door and yanking it open…</p><p>This is when Goro felt his heart stop.</p><p>Behind the door, the very door he opened minutes before to enter the library, stood a brick wall.</p><p>A small hole fitting perhaps a child had been left unsealed at the bottom of the frame, as though to taunt him.</p><p>“Ah—a dead end, looks like. That’s a shame, especially after you tried so hard.”</p><p>Goro’s blood chilled in his veins – turning to icy water.</p><p>Horrorstruck, he could only gape as Amamiya’s Shadow closed the distance between them, still smirking and looking utterly unscathed.</p><p>“You really enjoy playing hard to get, huh?” he said, like they were chatting over pastries and hot drinks. “There’s nowhere to run, Akechi. I’ve won our little game.”</p><p>He paced another step forward. Goro couldn’t help but recoil.</p><p>“But that’s what you wanted all along, isn’t it? I mean, you’d never have come here if not. I know you want me, too.”</p><p>By way of answer, Goro screamed Loki’s name.</p><p>Half a second later, the brick wall had been obliterated in a puff of smoke.</p><p>Panting heavily, Goro slipped through the frame and sped across the display room and then into the lobby, sensing his stamina drain away drop by drop: he wasn’t going to last much longer, not when being incapacitated for so many days had consumed most of his energy reserves. He had to hide, had to gain time somehow, at least until he was certain he could escape safely…</p><p>This is when he caught them from the corner of his eye.</p><p>The large sofas left in disarray around the lobby, high enough for him to hide underneath.</p><p>Goro stopped thinking. He practically flung himself under the nearest sofa, feeling his heart about to burst out; it was cramped and dusty there in the dark, threatening to make him cough. He waited there with bated breath, barely daring to take so much as a tiny gulp of air for fear it might betray his hiding spot – and when he saw a couple of shadows break through the sliver of light, his heart froze again for the space of a beat.</p><p>“So rather than tag, it’s back to hide and seek again, huh… You know you can’t hide from me forever, do you?”</p><p>Cheek pressed hard against the floor, Goro listened attentively, waiting for a sign, a single sign that the coast was clear.</p><p>The sign never came.</p><p>“Ah… What a pain. Come give me a hand, you guys.”</p><p>And before he had time to comprehend what was happening, Goro felt one, two, three pairs of hands seize him tightly and drag him out of his hiding spot before yanking him to his feet. Goro struggled and thrashed like a wild animal, but there was no setting himself free from the cognitive beings’ tight clutches.</p><p>“You’re giving Ren-kun so much trouble…”</p><p>“I don’t understand why you’re being so uncooperative.”</p><p>“I’m so envious. If I was the original, I’d give him both my body and soul without question.”</p><p>Goro was about to spit a scathing retort when a violent yelp of pain tore from his throat instead: one of the beings had twisted his arm hard behind his back, soon followed by the other. His captors’ satisfied smirks, however, faded just like snow under a scorching sun as the Shadow’s voice cracked like thunder – a quiet gunshot across a deadly silence.</p><p>“Don’t you hurt him,” he said, glaring at the beings as though they were some repulsive parasite. “If there’s one thing I can’t stand, it’s seeing Akechi in pain. Loosen your grip right now.”</p><p>“Ehh…?” whined one of the beings, his eyes taking on a very round, genuinely surprised shape. “But Ren-kun—”</p><p>The scowl on the Shadow’s features was more than enough to steal the rest of his protest away. Goro could sense the hold upon him slacken just a bit.</p><p>“I finally caught you,” whispered Amamiya’s Shadow, his severity instantly fading in favor of a husky, alluring tone. He brought his hand to cup Goro’s face, caressing it fondly before sliding down his neck and along his chest. “That means you’re mine at last, right?”</p><p>“No… Never…” Goro replied, his voice barely louder than Amamiya’s murmur, until it rose to a howl. “Get them, Loki!”</p><p>A huge blast sent the cognitions flying, but while Amamiya’s Shadow had to shield his eyes with his arm, he managed to stand his ground. Shoving him aside, Goro grabbed his visor again and tore it off his face, bellowing at Loki to breach the nearest wall: the exit was much too far. Not daring to do so much as glance behind him, Goro threw himself at the new passage, sensing his heart leap as he landed in a dark alley he recognized all too well: Yongenjaya’s…</p><p>Feeling a tiny spark of hope catch fire within his core, Goro ran, ran, and ran some more, leaving Leblanc’s street and yelling for help at the windows above as his striped garments gave way to the tracksuit again. The street was completely empty, which struck him as odd despite the obvious late hour: even the convenience store, supposedly open 24 hours a day, seemed closed. Goro barely noticed, too busy scrambling away as fast as his legs could carry him; he could see the train station, he just needed to cross the street and he would reach it, finally escaping this living nightmare for good—</p><p>A split second later, Goro’s eyes widened just like a deer caught in the headlights.</p><p>Just like<em> he </em>was the deer caught in the headlights of the incoming car.</p><p>A deafening honk followed, but Goro heard nothing. His last functioning sense was his sight, reflecting his imminent death within the depths of his eyes.</p><p>He squeezed them shut on instinct…<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
Only to cautiously crack one open at the realization that the impact never came. The car had utterly vanished into thin air.</p><p>No sooner did this concept penetrate with difficulty through the numb layers of his mind than a very real, very rough blow struck him just above his temple. Goro was smacked off-balance and fell forward, struggling to understand what happened, until an exclamation of astonishment slipped out of his mouth: something cold slithered around his wrists and pulled them together, keeping them restrained behind his back. It took him much longer than normal to realize it was a chain, but that was impossible… That just couldn’t be…</p><p>Another chain wrapped around his ankle again, and Goro couldn’t help a scream as he was dragged along the concrete, only stopping upon reaching him.</p><p>Towering over him, golden eyes stared down, the expression they conveyed eerily still.</p><p>“Ah… Too bad. Not like you could've known my Palace extends beyond the main building. As for the car… Well, I had to stop you somehow before you crossed over to the real world, right? It sure is helpful to be able to control everything.”</p><p>Goro’s chest rose and fell harshly in rhythm with his laborious breathing. His eyes, heavy-lidded, translated the beginning of vacancy again; a broken hue, a near shadow of their formerly alive maroon.</p><p>“Sleep, Akechi,” Amamiya’s Shadow said quietly, pressing the palm of his hand over Goro’s eyes. “You look like you definitely need it.”</p><p>“No… Stop…!”</p><p>His pleas fell on deaf ears. When Amamiya’s Shadow removed his hand, Goro wasn’t struggling anymore. His closed eyes and slightly parted lips made him the picture of innocence as he took long, deep breaths.</p><p>“You’re bleeding…” the Shadow muttered, smiling a sad sort of smile as he felt Goro’s injured temple. “Sorry, I didn’t want to go that far. But you left me no choice.”</p><p>Undoing the chains keeping Goro restrained, Amamiya’s Shadow gently lifted him in his arms like he was carrying his bride, and retraced his steps toward his Palace. Goro’s head lolled against his shoulder – much to the Shadow’s satisfaction.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
He didn’t meet a single soul on his way back. His path was a straightforward one.</p><p>The only time he paused was to throw a curious glance at his special guest. A smirk then tugged one corner of his lips.</p><p>“See? Didn’t I tell you?” he said, casting them a playful wink as he made sure they could take in Goro’s motionless frame in his arms. “Looks like you’ve lost, sucker.”</p><p>The figure responded with a pained sound.</p><p>They gripped the bars of the cage in both hands and shook, but to no avail. They didn’t budge. <br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I’m so sorry for the car accident scare… If this may reassure some of you, I had originally planned for the car accident to happen later in the story: a real one, that is 👀 Poor Goro sure made it by the skin of his teeth… At least for THAT little incident………</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Love 8 - OBJECT</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The first thing greeting Goro as he feebly stirred awake was a sensation of extreme heat grazing him all around.</p><p>It wasn’t the comforting, pleasant kind either – rather than the soft warmth of a fireplace in winter, it was closer to suffocating lava, consuming earth, water and even air. Goro could feel a layer of sweat building upon his skin and rolling down in drops.</p><p>A deep furrow creased the part in between Goro’s brows before his eyes fluttered open.</p><p>It was like an invisible weight was pressing down on him, slowing his entire being to a near inert, inactive state. Every single of his movements was strained and laborious, as though he were trying to run underwater; it took him much longer than normal to drag his leaden body into a sitting position, while his mind worked at what seemed a snail’s pace to piece itself back together.</p><p>When the last fragment fell into place, Goro’s eyes jerked wide open.</p><p>Five glass panels kept him trapped in a square-shaped box, the size of which so small his head was practically grazing the top – straightening up further, let alone standing on his feet, was not an option. Only the bottom panel was different, made of vivid red velvet: it felt soft under Goro’s tense fingers.</p><p>Goro was about to bang his fists against the hard surface when…</p><p>“Rise and shine, Akechi. You feeling okay?”</p><p>From beyond the glass came the muffled voice of Amamiya’s Shadow as he edged closer, surveying Goro through an intent gaze. It lingered especially on his forehead.</p><p>Goro blinked, finding his fingers reach out and brush against cloth, which his mind took quite longer than normal to process as some bandage wrapped tightly around his head. A damp spot was located on his temple, sending a distant pain to his brain at his gingerly touch. Right, he remembered… Discovering this insane Palace… Meaning to change Amamiyaʼs heart so that he could save himself… Realizing he bit much more than he could chew and attempting to retreat for the time being… Fleeing into Yongenjaya’s streets, only to find out the painful way it wasn’t Yongenjaya at all… A swift, sudden pain across his temple that knocked him off his feet, and then—</p><p>“It’s all right, nothing serious at all,” Amamiya’s Shadow said, apparently confusing the bewildered look on Goro’s face for concern over his wound. “It’ll heal in no time.” </p><p>There was a cooing note to his voice, very much like that of a comforting mother at her young son’s tears after he scraped his knee.</p><p>Goro felt a wave of hatred roll over him, growing taller and taller and taller – until it crashed down with impossible strength onto his very soul. His nails dug deep into his palms as he clenched his fists, leaving painful marks; for all the notice he took, however, they might be non-existent. Deep wrinkles creased his face, a testimony of the rage boiling hot within his veins and coming out as a low, startling growl. Amamiya’s Shadow chuckled and crouched down, his face level with Goro’s so that he could take him in plainly. The expression etched along every single inch of his features spoke of absolute awe, like he was marveling over a true work of art, a masterpiece worthy of belonging in a museum… </p><p>And that cage was the main exhibit – the display keeping his trophy safe and secure.</p><p>His emotions overcoming him, Goro let out a howl of rage and raised his fist, slamming it into the glass, only to gasp and yank his hand back like he burned himself on a tap of steaming water – almost literally. Unbearable heat radiated off every pane around, as though suddenly switched to the highest power. Goro frowned, registering the painful prickles upon his skin while he watched the glass through slitted eyes: a mark seemed to fester where he had touched it before evaporating like mist breathed on a window.</p><p>“Better not get too close,” the Shadow said absently, lost in the contemplation of Goro’s bloodthirsty features. “I didn’t want to do this, but that’s the only way I could think of to keep you safe and sound. While I’m at it, I’d also advise not to summon your Personas… They’d crush you against the glass otherwise. That’d sting for sure—so be careful, okay?”</p><p>It was easy to see he was telling the truth: with how tiny the glass cage was, there was no way Loki or Robin Hood would fit without taking most of the space around. Goro’s scowl deepened to something feral, something <em>primal,</em> almost beast-like, overtaking his human mind. Amamiya’s Shadow really had thought of everything… He <em> was </em> intent on keeping Goro trapped forever, like Goro was his property and nothing else…</p><p>Amamiya’s Shadow gave a sigh, still gazing at Goro as though lost in a dream, like he could never marvel over him enough before being satisfied. His golden eyes glowed a certain mad edge which Goro was certain he hadn’t imagined. But he saw no escape, no way to run or hide… </p><p>Even so, his very core refused to admit defeat – it refused to submit, ever.</p><p>“Do you think you could change back into that outfit for me? The striped one?” said Amamiya’s Shadow, and the lovesick streak crossing his gaze was real and alive. “You looked so good in it… I want to see you dressed like this longer…”</p><p>Goro squeezed his eyes shut and pressed his hands against his ears, trying to block out both sight and sound but the Shadow’s obscenities kept going, driving him insane—</p><p>“I’ll make you so happy. You know I’m the right person for you.”</p><p>He writhed harder still, gritting his teeth in what was as physical a pain as mental. This couldn’t end like this… This was all just a nightmare – a nightmare he had to wake up from soon…</p><p>“I know it’s selfish of me… But I want to keep you all to myself so bad…” </p><p>The Shadow’s voice seemed to echo louder, latching itself to every last cell of Goro’s brain like some sort of parasite… As annoying as a buzz and persistent as a ringing, it whistled across his very mind, swirling his thoughts into a muddled jumble of disjointed fragments; the sense of which quickly disappearing beneath the surface of his reason and dissolving into foam.</p><p><em> “You’re injured… Sorry.”<br/><br/><br/></em>The voice echoing off each recess of his mind suddenly hadn’t bore the suave, supremely confident and with all that, dangerous tone of Amamiya’s Shadow.</p><p>It sounded just like the quiet, almost bashful mutter of Amamiya himself.<br/><br/><br/>Goro opened one eye a crack, face still contorted but welcoming a new emotion upon his features. Something seemed to come free within his mind, clawing its way through the murky fog until it became sharper, brighter, physical enough to be touched and seized… He saw it all. Amamiya’s sincere concern over his injured wrists. The sad flicker upon his smile. How he handled Goro’s wrists like they were made of the most precious porcelain. The way Amamiya’s Shadow snapped at the cognitive beings earlier…</p><p>And that bandage over his wounded temple.<br/><br/><br/>Goro stopped thinking. It was like someone else was suddenly possessing both his body and soul, controlling it all on puppet strings; his rationality was sitting in the backseat of his mind when he threw his hands against the searing glass, pressing down on it with all his weight. Intense pain stirred awake on his palms at once but Goro didn’t so much as blink – heavy grunts did escape him, although they were quite tame in comparison to the horrified cry Amamiya’s Shadow just let out.</p><p>“What are you doing?! Stop, you’re gonna—” </p><p>But rather than curbing Goro’s mad writhing, the Shadow’s distress only encouraged it more: with a howl translating sheer determination as much as agony, Goro practically slammed the side of his face into the glass, and he felt in that one moment the excruciating sensation of every last inch screaming in protest as they burned to a crisp, but no harder than the flame in Goro’s eyes. It lasted only a split second before Goro felt himself fall forward as the glass vanished, barely grazing the floor before a strong grip clamped his shoulders.</p><p>“Just what’s gotten into you?!” Amamiya’s Shadow stammered, leaving his cocky countenance behind to show only pure incomprehension and astonishment. “Have you lost your mind?! You’re completely disfigured—”</p><p>
  <em> “Loki!” </em>
</p><p>A wall of roaring blue flames rose as Loki appeared, immediately blasting Amamiya’s Shadow into the nearest wall, miscellaneous items swept by his bulk and joining him to the floor. Goro sprang to his feet, unable to help a grimace of pain at the sensation of his skin smoldering under his visor and gauntlets; every last inch felt like a billion white hot needles, tinier than fairyflies, were pounded repeatedly into his palms and side of his face. He could feel them crack and tear to pieces.</p><p>Amamiya’s Shadow groaned, shaking his head feebly, which was Goro’s cue to spin on his wheels and run as quickly as his tired legs allowed it; on his unspoken command, Loki summoned an explosion of black light that rocked the room, but Goro didn’t take a single second to glance over his shoulder and check on the aftermath: he darted onto the nearest door, yanking it open before rushing aimlessly across the entire Palace without a care in the world. He only skidded to a halt after putting what felt like an entire building between himself and the Shadow, doubling over and panting for air in fast, heavy gulps. </p><p>Several long minutes ticked by before he recovered enough to straighten back up, and Goro threw a wary look around, his eyes watery from the soreness of his wounds: it had been bad enough already at the mere contact of air, but the friction caused by his gauntlets upon his palms was very close to torture. He didn’t regret his decision one bit, he thought savagely, and gritting his teeth hard, he pushed through the pain to scan the room he found himself in. The large TV flat screen and the three tiers of comfortable-looking sofas made it easy to tell it was some sort of theater room. Underneath the TV sat a movie player, with a good dozen of DVD boxes neatly stored in the glass shelf that ran along a large side of the wall. </p><p>Goro approached it cautiously, crouching to examine the DVDs better. All of them sported a white spine and a title handwritten in black felt tip, which read:</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> JUNE 10 2016 </em>
</p><p>
  <em> AUGUST 28 2016 </em>
</p><p>
  <em> OCTOBER 25 2016 </em>
</p><p> </p><p>The titles continued in this fashion across the entire shelf, starting from June 9 to November 10 – today’s date. Several days were skipped, but Goro did not have to wonder long at why that was.</p><p>Without being entirely sure why, Goro reached for a DVD at random and slid out the one entitled ‘OCTOBER 30 2016’ (the mere motion of grabbing it tore a small grunt of pain out of him), then inserted it into the player. The TV flickered to life automatically, and without further input began to screen.</p><p>No sooner did the luxurious corridors of Sae-san’s Palace appear than a window in Goro’s mind opened at once, letting a memory hop out clear as day. He saw it all: the raging battle against a particularly nasty pack of Shadows, the inferno Takamaki threw at them, the warning yell from Sakura and Sakamoto’s widening eyes at the beast-shaped Shadow lunging at him from behind. </p><p>
  <em> “Skull, watch out!”  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “Dammit—”  </em>
</p><p>But Sakamoto’s swear died in his throat in favor of a gasp as the camera – Amamiya – leapt in front of him and stabbed the Shadow right through the roof of its mouth, stopping it in its tracks a split second before it could land a blow that would have likely been fatal otherwise. Letting out a piercing scream translating rage just as much as pain, the Shadow rounded on Amamiya and widened its deadly jaws, only to stagger backward as a bullet shot squarely between its eyes. The Shadow collapsed to the ground at once, vanishing in a puff of bloody smoke.</p><p><em> “Skull, Joker, are you all right?” </em> Goro saw himself ask as he came trotting toward the camera, his eyes filled with concern. Amamiya nodded at him, his red glove reaching out toward the middle of the screen as he accepted Goro’s hand.</p><p>The footage went on, but Goro had seen enough. He remembered perfectly what happened afterwards, when a Shadow the size of a small house had required them to split up to take it down: he and Amamiya had leapt opposite ways to flank it and jumped at the exact same time, shooting it in mid-air with one bullet each just as the Shadow swiped at them fiercely. The rest of the Thieves had taken advantage of the diversion to strike from behind, and the rest was history. Amamiya had grinned at him then, and before Goro realized what he was doing, he had raised his hand to clap it against Goro’s in celebration. Goro had been very much taken aback… but he couldn’t claim he had disliked it.</p><p>In fact, as Goro turned to leave while the screen showed him sit by Amamiya’s side during a well-earned break from their exploration, his melancholic smile was unmistakable.</p><p>It lasted only a fleeting moment before it faded. Bitterness, resentment, disbelief and anger replaced it, settling deep onto his features like a somber mask.</p><p>There would be no returning to this uncomplicated joy, ever.</p><p>If those last days made it all collapse like a house of cards, then the mere sight of this Palace was the atomic bomb on top of it.</p><p>Goro hated to admit it, but—</p><p>“There you are.”</p><p>Goro blinked, finding himself nose to nose with a figure standing in the door frame of the theater room. His features darkened at once, surprisingly matching those of the cognitive being staring at him. Save for the clothes (a three-piece suit on the cognition’s part), it was just like watching himself in a mirror: narrow slits for eyes, a grim tight line for lips… Not a single trace of the ditzy and starstruck Goro whom Amamiya seemed to like so much.</p><p>“Get out of my way,” Goro barked, not even trying to tap into his patience which had long been drained dry.</p><p>“I don’t think so,” replied the cognition, his gaze harder still, just like stone. “Ren-kun would be inconsolable.”</p><p>“Do you seriously believe I give a <em> damn </em>about his feelings…” Goro retorted, almost outraged the cognition couldn’t cram such a simple concept into his skull, but he knew he shouldn’t hold it against him: it was Amamiya who was dictating the cognitions’ thoughts and minds.</p><p>“Why not? He’s devoted to us like no one else is. He loves us like no one else ever did.”</p><p>Goro’s eyes widened, but not in surprise. All they radiated was irate offense.</p><p>“What,” he said through gritted teeth, each syllable slow and choppy, “do you even know about—”</p><p>“Everything. Because you told him—you told Ren-kun about our situation.”</p><p>A smile showed on the cognition’s lips: it could pass for a kind one, but Goro could tell it was really the smile of someone who knew they had the upper hand – and was intent on letting it be known.</p><p>“The son of a mistress who died when you were young, forcing you to fend for yourself… A father who had no qualms about leaving you behind… We feel empty and unwanted, don’t we? That was obvious from our expression when we shared our story to him. Ren-kun’s not stupid, you know? He can see through us clear as day.”</p><p>It felt like a wick was set alight within Goro’s core, suddenly bursting into flames as every last word the cognition uttered branded themselves into his mind. His hands balled into fists so tight it hurt, and not just because of his injuries. It was almost a feat that the cognition didn’t recoil given the snarl and bared fangs Goro stared at him with.</p><p>“And Ren-kun means to fulfill just that,” the cognition went on, his eyebrows knotting close together. “He wants us to feel loved—wants us to feel special. Why won’t you accept his feelings? Why can’t you see he’s trying his hardest to save us?”</p><p><em> “I don’t need to be saved!” </em> Goro snapped, losing control of himself at once. “Salvation? Love?! Don’t make me laugh! What he’s doing couldn’t be further from either—he’s just a deranged freak who should be locked up far away from the rest of the world!”</p><p>Although the cognition gave a sigh, his glare didn’t subside; he closed his eyes as if in supreme disappointment.</p><p>“Funny, because that’s exactly what Ren-kun would be warranted to say in <em> our </em> case… Yet, he doesn’t. He loves us unconditionally, flaws and all. Meanwhile, you can’t return even a tenth of the favor. If you won’t even try to accept his love, then I’ll <em> make </em> you submit.”</p><p>Goro wondered whether he had imagined it, but he could have sworn he felt something ripple around the cognition’s frame, like some strange energy distorting the air surrounding him. The moment his eyes gleamed with inflexible determination and his mouth opened to shout those words, Goro knew his mind hadn’t been playing tricks on him.</p><p>“Come! Robin Hood!”</p><p>Goro gasped, bolting out of the way as a perfect replica of Robin Hood manifested into being and attacked at once, leaving a smoking trail rising from the spot where Goro had stood mere seconds before. The cognition snorted in disdain, jerking his head as he reached for his crimson mask again – the mask that matched the red accents of his princely attire.</p><p>An astonished cloak enveloped Goro’s every thought, allowing him to do nothing except simply take in the sight mouth agape even as the gears within his mind ground to a start furiously. That’s right… Since Amamiya saw him fight in the other world, it was no wonder that the cognitive beings his psyche conjured could also—</p><p>“Kougaon!” the cognition yelled, forcing Goro to leap aside once more. Goro wasn’t sure what the cognition was trying to achieve, because this clearly wasn’t about merely subduing him: each of Robin Hood’s commands were screamed with an intent to grievously injure at best, outright kill at worst.</p><p>A new ferocious scowl stealing over his face, Goro called Loki, who responded to Robin Hood’s assault in kind: both seemed to act on their own at this point, their spells growing more intense and destructive even as the cognition pounced, his fist drawing back before it buried itself into Goro’s stomach.</p><p>Air knocked out of his lungs, Goro groaned and fell to one knee, clutching his stomach tight, only to let out an exclamation of surprise upon being tackled backward. Face unfathomable, the cognition straddled him tighter, completely unperturbed as Loki and Robin Hood’s fight above raged on.</p><p>Not leaving Goro a nanosecond to see it coming, the cognition’s hand shot forward—<br/><br/><br/><br/>—and then pressed against the wounded side of Goro’s face, forceful like he wanted to crush an egg in his palm.</p><p>Goro howled in pain. He writhed and thrashed wildly, sensing a metallic taste rise to his mouth as his throat was torn raw under his screams. It felt like his very nerves were on fire, jostled, poked and fiddled with mercilessly, as though a knife had been pounded into his face and twisting left and right.</p><p>“Ren-kun is the best thing to ever happen to us. He cares, he’s devoted, he’s kind, he’s selfless, and all he wants is for us to be happy. It’s about time you understood that.”</p><p>Loki, witnessing the scene below, seemed to entirely forget about Robin Hood all of a sudden and dove, drawing his sword back when an arrow made of light zoomed past and grazed Loki on his shoulder before hitting the TV bullseye. The image of a tired-looking but satisfied Goro waving the camera goodbye after returning to the real world vanished in a loud flicker.</p><p>“That’s… complete lies…” Goro groaned through the tortuous pain, finally managing to yank the cognition’s hand away from his face and gripping it harder than iron in his own. “If he wanted me to be happy… He’d have let me go by now…”</p><p>“He doesn’t because he knows you’d be happy if you gave him a chance! It’s all because of your stubbornness that you can’t see that! If you’d just—”</p><p>“…off of me…”</p><p>“—try to understand just how much you matter to him—”</p><p>“Get off of me…!”</p><p>“He only wants the best for you—”</p><p>
  <em> “Get the hell off of me!” </em>
</p><p>Goro’s rage finally combusted, exploding with the force of a thousand fireworks. Letting out a scream, he punched and shoved the cognition off before climbing unsteadily to his feet. His breathing was strained, coming in laborious panting; his face, downcast, was entirely hidden underneath his black mask.</p><p>“’The best for me’? Don’t give me that crap… All he wants is that I belong to him like I’m his toy… His plaything…”</p><p>A wave of dark, crimson light rose from the floor, circling around Goro’s feet and coming alive like burning flames, sending his cape whipping as if caught in a terrible wind. When at last, his gaze rose to meet the cognition’s defiant stare, a red flare accompanied the fiery gleam across his eyes, making him look for all the world like a demon.</p><p>“So that’s what I am…? An object? <em> …To hell with that!” </em></p><p>More than strength of mind, it was his fury that fueled Goro’s power: grin almost vengeful, Loki charged into Robin Hood, knocking him like a ram before raising his sword high in the air. A negative gate opened right on the floor, from which jutted out a dozen devilish hands as they immediately snapped shut onto the cognition and Robin Hood’s limbs. Shock flew over their faces but Goro couldn’t have found a single shred of mercy in him even if he wanted to; mere seconds were all it took for the cognition to scream and vanish into nothing as the hands tore him apart, Robin Hood soon following suit. Those couples of seconds, however, were enough time for Robin Hood to attempt one last desperate assault and summon a column of light that seemed to pierce the entire room upright, reaching from the heavens above and descending to the center of the Earth. Goro dodged the worst of it by the skin of his teeth, watching through an incredulous gaze the aftermath of the blast: a huge portion of both ceiling and floor was gone up in smoke, allowing Goro a glimpse of whatever was below – until he felt the edge crumble under his feet.</p><p>Too late, Goro stretched out his arm to no avail, eyes bulging as gravity sucked him into the giant pit, only to gasp upon witnessing Loki diving after him and catching up. Long, striped arms wrapped around him, and by the time Goro realized what was happening, Loki was tightening his protective embrace even as gusts of air whirled past them. Clinging to him, Goro squeezed his eyes shut and braced himself, stomach feeling like it was free falling as well inside his body.</p><p>And then, as fast as it happened, the sensation came to an abrupt stop. Everything felt very still; everything was silent.</p><p>Goro hesitantly opened his eyes, blinking as his brain struggled to its normal pace once more. Very slowly, he pulled himself upright, throwing a worried glance at Loki who was sprawled beneath him, motionless. Right then did the realization truly sink its roots deep within: hadn’t Loki been there to break his fall, Goro wouldn’t be around anymore to even form this thought. All he would have been reduced to is a splatter of blood and chunks on the floor.</p><p>“Thank you,” he murmured, calling Loki back into his heart. “You saved me.”</p><p>Clambering to his feet, Goro took a moment to inspect himself, deciding he made it out of the fight reasonably well all things considered. He didn’t appear to have suffered any severe injury: even the pain of his burned face, rudely reawakened by the cognitive being, seemed to have relented somewhat, snuffed out by the chaos of those past minutes. He supposed he should consider himself lucky.</p><p>A quick look around informed him he was in some sort of large corridor, completely at odds with the rest of the Palace: rather than cheerful and eye-catching like a funhouse, it was dark, grim and silent, illuminated only by a dim blue light the source of which difficult to pinpoint. Goro swept his eyes across the room, spotting nothing of interest, except…</p><p>Except the cage ahead nestled against the wall, wider than tall; big enough to fit a grown, crouching human being.</p><p>Eyebrows drawing together in caution, Goro crept closer, eyes narrowing so that he could perceive through the near darkness better. A silhouette seemed to move about almost imperceptibly behind the bars, the rustle it produced the sole indication that Goro hadn’t imagined it, and then—<br/><br/><br/>And then, Goro stopped dead.<br/><br/><br/>He stared, jaw hanging low, in an astonishment he couldn’t recall ever experiencing in his life before; even ‘astonishment’ seemed too weak a word. It was raw shock, plain and simple, short-circuiting his mind itself and leaving a very questionable hope for recovery.</p><p>“Amamiya…?”</p><p>His heart leapt as he said it – then outright did a somersault upon meeting that bemused, grey gaze.</p><p>He knew only a short time passed since he last saw them, but Goro felt like an entire lifetime separated his departure from the warehouse to this moment.</p><p>Amamiya, surprised as he looked, didn’t seem to share the full extent of Goro’s stupefaction. There was something almost pitiful about his whole manner, but by the time he opened his mouth to speak, Goro realized any ounce of sympathy he might have felt was nipped in the bud before it could seize a single chance to bloom.</p><p>“Who…” Amamiya began, his voice somewhat raspy, “are you…?”</p><p>Goro’s features were stone cold, hard as steel.</p><p>Seconds of stillness ticked by before he answered – by removing his black mask.</p><p>Amamiya’s eyes widened, finally matching Goro’s own shock of the previous minutes.</p><p>“Akechi…? Those clothes—is that really you…? What happened to your face—”</p><p>“What do you think,” Goro replied icily, putting his mask back in place. “And never mind my face—what in the world are you doing here? In that cage?”</p><p>Sensing Amamiya’s hesitation, Goro clicked his tongue, making it plain he had not a single drop of patience to spare. He was about to bark his irritation again when Amamiya spoke up at last.</p><p>“Back then in the warehouse, when you snatched my phone… I didn’t understand what happened at that moment, but I pieced it together as soon as I saw everything ripple. You used the Otherworld Navi, didn’t you… And since I was right next to you, it’s no wonder I got sucked in…”</p><p>Goro stayed silent, prompting Amamiya to continue – but not before Amamiya cast a glance around the dark, naked room.</p><p>“I guess we weren’t transported to the same entrance, because I was all alone when I opened my eyes. I barely had time to check out this place when I got knocked out from behind… Next thing I know, I wake up in this cage. I’ve tried to summon Arsène… but he wouldn’t come.”</p><p>“So you got captured?” Goro asked, lifting an eyebrow. “By whom?”</p><p>“…Myself, I guess,” Amamiya replied after a long pause. “…My Shadow.”</p><p>Goro managed to keep his body language inscrutable, but the truth was that those words did catch him off-guard.</p><p>“I take it you know where we are, then,” he asked pointedly, feeling a shot of spiteful delight in his veins at Amamiya’s ashamed, fleeting expression.</p><p>“…Yeah.”</p><p>Another silence muffled the atmosphere, filled to the brim with awkwardness and unspoken emotions on both sides of the bars. There were about a thousand things Goro burned to say… but he had no idea what the first step was.</p><p>“I’m… I’m glad to see you seem to be doing okay for the most part,” Amamiya said at last, his voice carrying a meek, almost timid tone unlike anything Goro heard from him before. “When I saw you unconscious, at his entire mercy, I thought…”</p><p>Amamiya interrupted himself, as if the mere recollection was physically too much to bear. He scratched the back of his head, looking away.</p><p>“Well,” he finished, “at least you managed to escape him. That’s… a relief.”</p><p>“Not holding him in your heart, are you,” Goro remarked curtly. “Then again, it’s going both ways, isn’t it? Why would your own Shadow imprison you? Shouldn’t you two be in cahoots? You know, to get your hands on me?”</p><p>The spite rushing to the end of his words was palpable, as hot and stinging as bubbling lava. Amamiya clearly noticed, and had the decency to avert his gaze.</p><p>“…Pretty sure he sees me as a rival, actually. In his eyes, I’m the one threatening to steal you away from him… That’s probably why he got a hold of me. He didn’t want to risk it.”</p><p>Goro snorted, hoping it managed to convey his supreme contempt for both Amamiya and his Shadow, but that was not enough: intense spite and resentment rose from the pits of his core again, soon turning into a wicked tidal wave that urged him to twist the knife, drive it deeper, deeper, deeper—</p><p>“How does it feel, then?” he asked at last, controlled by the vengeful spirit, his frame shaking with blooming anger. “How does it feel to be the one looking up at me? How does it feel to be the one helpless and trapped against his will? How does it feel to be torn from your life and believe <em> you’ll never see the sunlight again?!” </em></p><p>Goro’s eyes flashed and burned; the claws of his gauntlets dug deep into his stinging palms, but his outrage rendered him blind to everything, everything except the volcano erupting inside himself, the volcano screaming for vengeance, for retribution—</p><p>Soon, the sole source of sound came from Goro’s heavy panting. Chest rising and falling sharply, he glared at Amamiya, like his gaze alone could make him drop dead on the spot.</p><p>Amamiya’s wide eyes were fixed upon his, as though he were seeing Goro for the very first time. Then, he let them fleet elsewhere – and much to Goro’s surprise, gave a brief, quiet chuckle.</p><p>“Yeah… That’s why you came to my Palace, right?” he said, his smile very strained, visibly forced. “By killing my Shadow, not only you’d be able to get rid of me for good and free yourself, but I’d also get my just desserts… One stone, two birds.”</p><p>“I don’t recall saying anything about killing your Shadow,” Goro responded coolly. It was Amamiya’s turn to look surprised: he lifted a very round, incredulous gaze upward.</p><p>“Eh…? Why wouldn’t you… I mean, you were planning to kill me all along anyway, so—”</p><p>“I know that!” Goro snapped, the reminder of Amamiya finding out about this still scathing in his mind. “But that—but that doesn’t mean I was happy about it, you idiot!”</p><p>Amamiya goggled at him as though Goro suddenly announced he were about to go on a one-way trip to space. Goro, however, didn’t notice, unable to mute himself now that the floodgates opened, unstoppable like a frantic ram set loose.</p><p>“All this time we spent together, fighting in the other world, competing over everything and anything, even just chatting in Leblanc… I liked it, all right?!”</p><p>Goro let himself crumple to his knees, throwing himself at the bars and gripping them desperately, driven by a force he couldn’t recognize anymore. Amamiya seemed rooted to the spot, his slackened mouth evidently stuck.</p><p>“I liked doing all of this with you!” Goro went on, shaking the bars in extreme frustration. “I liked feeling like I could tell you anything! I liked having your back and knowing you had mine whenever we fought in Sae-san’s Palace or Mementos, I liked doing my best to surpass you, and I liked that you never held yourself back either! And now it’s all gone—all over because you just, you just had to ruin everything! We’ll never come back from this, ever!”</p><p>Goro squeezed his eyes shut, panting heavily like he had just finished running a marathon. He could sense Amamiya’s goggling, stupefied stare upon him.</p><p>When he opened his eyes once more, the pain had slid off his face – replaced by a blank, indecipherable expression. Slowly, he let go of the bars and stood up again.</p><p>“…Tell me where your Treasure is,” he commanded, and catching Amamiya’s changing expression, “I know you must have an idea where it is. It's your world.”</p><p>Their eyes met.</p><p>Then, as Amamiya lowered his gaze, he pointed at the very end of the room, in which awaited a lonely door.</p><p>Turning on his heel, Goro set off at a brisk pace. He never looked back.<br/><br/><br/><br/>The short distance between himself and the door felt like it took hours to close. In one swift motion, he pushed it open, greeted by a descending flight of stairs the end of which dissolved toward inky blackness. Far from intimidated, Goro climbed down the abyss for several long minutes to find himself nose to nose with a large bulkhead. One tap at the control panel on the side was all it took for the bulkhead to grind alive and slide open.</p><p>Like the corridor before, this room was completely disconnected from the rest of the Palace: it seemed to represent some sort of underground shelter, meant to keep safe whatever stayed inside. It didn’t take a genius to know what exactly Amamiya unknowingly protected so fiercely – not when the console area, sporting dozens of cameras surveying the rest of the Palace, was adorned with an object that was impossible to miss given that it conspicuously floated in the air. This was Amamiya’s Treasure, and he knew it.</p><p>Goro approached more at a trot than a walk, distantly wondering how come the Treasure materialized without the need of a calling card, only to figure Amamiya’s cognition was most likely at play: since he knew all about Treasures and heart changes, he didn’t need to be warned beforehand of what could happen to his own twisted desires. At any rate, the Treasure did appear, definitely made physical as Goro grabbed it in mid-air. It was a book: a gorgeous, large-sized thing, thicker and heavier than three dictionaries put together, bound by red and black leather. Flipping its pages revealed dozens and dozens of pictures: many of them the exact same Goro had seen taped to the walls of Leblanc’s attic.</p><p>“Hmph… Figures.”</p><p>Without another glance at it, Goro snapped the book shut and tucked it under his arm, when—</p><p>“I can’t let you take it.”</p><p>Goro didn’t startle.</p><p>He didn’t gasp, or even betrayed the merest flicker of surprise.</p><p>Slowly, he turned around and saw him. Amamiya’s Shadow, so similar to Joker, stared at him from a few feet away. There was a very new, quite disconcerting edge of frenzy in his entire manner.</p><p>“I can’t,” he continued, taking a step forward, then another. “I don’t want to let go of it—let go of you.”</p><p>His eyes widened further, giving away something almost manic; the bargaining of the desperate. He took yet another step, standing exactly in the middle of the bulkhead like a second wall… As if to say he would let him pass only over his dead body. Goro’s face remained entirely still.</p><p>“I don’t want to fight you,” Goro said, his voice eerily devoid of any emotion. “I’ve had enough. I just want to go home.”</p><p>And like this, he proceeded toward the bulkhead, walking past the Shadow without a word – when a sudden quake took him aback, followed by a deafening siren and ominous red flooding the room, and Goro’s brain immediately made the connection: sensing the Treasure had been taken, the Palace was starting to collapse.</p><p>“I won’t let you,” the Shadow muttered, his voice distorting dangerously into something that wasn’t human. “I won’t… I want you to stay with me forever… Akechi—”</p><p>Goro only had time to catch a glimpse of shifting red before the room shook again, a loud explosion going off in the near distance. A large piece of the ceiling cracked and collapsed, camera feeds were either flickering on and off or displaying static, while an ear-splitting scream rang out as the Shadow – the monster – attacked, swiping the air with its deadly, dozen tendrils that jutted out from its back. Tendrils reminiscent of those fleeing from Arsène’s face, right down to the flames etched along their lengths… The demonic grin and flaring eyes were nearly the same as well, but with all that more terrifyin, much more wicked… The upper body humanoid and the bottom crawling on eight legs, Amamiya’s Shadow had been reborn into something that should not be.</p><p>Yanking his mask off his face, Goro screamed Loki’s name, repelling each of the monster’s assaults desperately, only to feel an icy stab of horror into his heart as he darted toward the bulkhead: it was slowly sliding again, just a bit more and it would close on him, keeping him trapped there in this giant coffin for his last moments on Earth—</p><p>“Deathbound!” he bellowed without looking past him, without even checking whether the spell connected as he bolted toward the bulkhead like a speeding bullet, but it was too late, the gap was about to close, he would be crushed on the spot if he committed now…</p><p>Even so, Goro jumped.</p><p>Everything seemed to slow down in that one split second, giving him the impression he was floating in the air – his head had slipped through, his torso as well, his knee knocked on the 10 000 pounds wall, but he didn’t stop… And then, he felt himself roll onto the floor, heard the grinding stop, and this is when the flow of time gained speed once more. </p><p>Gasping hard for air, brushing the dripping sweat from his forehead, Goro couldn’t help a look at the bulkhead. The first, silly thought coming to his mind was that it looked strangely similar to the closed jaws of a disappointed beast.</p><p>The new explosion vibrating his very core and, more alarming, the huge blow hitting the other side of the bulkhead, did short work of his idleness, and Goro sprang to his feet again. Darting through the door, he rushed up the stairway mindlessly, hearing a roar that made all the hairs rise at the back of his neck; risking a glance behind, Goro swore he could feel his blood chill at the sight of the monster dislodging the door off its hinges – destroying a significant part of the wall in the process – and appear far below, climbing the stairway five steps at a time. The bulkhead might as well not have stood in its path at all, apparently.</p><p>His heart hammering so wildly he was beginning to feel nauseous, Goro doubled down, running so fast it was as though his body were being pushed forward by a violent tailwind. He ran and ran and ran – and even so, when he reached Amamiya’s cage, he found himself skidding to a halt.</p><p>“What’s going on?” Amamiya asked as the corridor was collapsing as well, his knuckles visibly white around the bars despite the darkness.</p><p>“The Palace’s collapsing,” Goro explained as fast as he could, his eyes fixed on the landing for the incoming trace of the monster. “Your Shadow… It went berserk.”</p><p>Amamiya’s eyes lowered onto the picture book Goro was still clutching tight. Realization dawned on him, and catching Goro very much off-guard, he gave a very derisive snort.</p><p>“Why are you stopping, then?” Amamiya asked, his smirk turning into a sad smile. “You need to go… When he comes, there’ll be nothing left to tell the tale—assuming the collapse of the Palace doesn’t kill everything in sight first.”</p><p>Goro stared at him, breathing severely strained, deep lines creasing the space between eyebrows, barely aware of the trails of sweat trickling down his face. The gears inside his mind had begun to turn at an extremely fast pace again.</p><p>“What… about you?” he asked in between two intakes of air, but Amamiya merely snorted again.</p><p>“Forget about me. That’s what I deserve.”</p><p>The world seemed to grow dark in that one moment – turning into a vast expanse as black as space, without a single star to break through the nothingness. All that remained was Goro and Amamiya.</p><p>Lips parted, aware of nothing except him, Goro froze.</p><p>He had to run. He had to flee before the Palace collapsed on him; before Amamiya’s Shadow caught up.</p><p>Yet, Goro remained rooted to the spot. All he saw was Amamiya’s doleful smile: the smile of one who was resigned to their fate.<br/><br/><br/><br/>It happened in an instant.<br/><br/><br/><br/><em> “Akechi… Akechi…!” </em></p><p>Jumping a foot in the air, Goro woke up from his trance and saw the worst happen before his very eyes: three disgusting, crab-like legs had peeked out onto the landing, and the rest of their body didn’t take long to follow suit. It was only a matter of seconds before Amamiya’s Shadow was upon them.</p><p>Gritting his teeth hard, audibly chastising himself for doing what he was doing, Goro reached out to the heavens and screamed—</p><p>“LOKI!”</p><p>In an instant, Loki appeared; in another, the bars keeping Amamiya trapped were sliced in half, crumpling in a loud clatter to the floor. Not letting Amamiya even one second to comprehend what just happened, Goro grabbed him by his shirt, dragged him to his feet and broke into a run, Amamiya hesitating for a fraction of a moment before imitating him and dashing by Goro’s side – although his eyes remained round and wide.</p><p>“Why—why did you—”</p><p>“Shut up and<em> run!” </em></p><p>The rate and violence of the explosions seemed to dramatically increase as they made their way to freedom; once or twice, they narrowly dodged falling debris by a mere inch as the numerous shockwaves and quakes sent them stumbling around. Much to Goro’s immense relief, the exit was soon in sight: everything was falling apart, every single TV screen crashing down, the hole in the wall Loki had breached earlier threatening to widen at a moment’s notice, but they were almost there – and then, from the corner of his eye, Goro saw it.</p><p>
  <em> “Look out!” </em>
</p><p>Even as he yelled it, Goro flung himself at Amamiya, eliciting a loud cry of surprise as he rammed into him and shoved him out of the way – out of the reach of the sparks flying off the TVs, catching fire and suddenly—<br/><br/><br/><br/>The blast was so strong it catapulted Goro into the air.<br/><br/><br/><br/>His mouth was frozen into a silent cry, his body aching everywhere beyond merely excruciating, every single inch of him screaming in agony. He could sense a hot wave ripple around him and sneak into his pores, a heat which the summer night had nothing to do with, only for said summer night to instantly give way to an overcast day. A biting chill enveloped him then, exactly like jumping from a scalding bath to a tub filled with ice, but before Goro’s mind could explain this, he found himself crashing onto pavement and rolling over, until he finally slid to a stop.</p><p>Goro groaned, hugging his ribs tight. Unless the atrocious pain his brain registered was a mere trick of his mind, at least half a dozen of them were fractured.</p><p>“Akechi…”</p><p>Cracking one eye open, Goro saw a silhouette coming his way, taking an alarmingly long time to sharpen into focus. At last, he recognized Amamiya’s worried features.</p><p>“Are you okay…?”</p><p>“Oh I’m great,” Goro replied, unable to suppress the cutting, sarcastic note to his voice as he dragged himself into a sitting position, resting himself against a hard surface. “So we… made it out, huh.”</p><p>“…Seems so. We’re not too far from Yongenjaya Station.”</p><p>Amamiya gestured behind him: they were indeed in a familiar, narrow alleyway Goro remembered seeing during his many trips to Lebanc, catching the metal barrel right in front of him upon which crackled a weak fire; certainly the work of a homeless person. He could see the main street far ahead, but it seemed almost devoid of passersby.</p><p>“Where’s… the Treasure?” Goro asked, each word he spoke costing him an awful effort. By way of answer, Amamiya paused – then opened his hand.<br/><br/><br/>It revealed a single glove made of black leather.<br/><br/><br/>Goro had the time to blink a couple of times before words came to his mind.</p><p>“Is that… my glove…?”</p><p>“The one you gave me last time, yeah,” Amamiya replied, looking away. “I cherished it all this time.”</p><p>Goro peered at him, recalling what the Thieves taught him during their expedition to Sae-san’s Palace: that a Treasure often turned out different in the real world as opposed to what it looked like in a Palace. More importantly, however—</p><p>“So your desires became distorted since the moment I gave you my glove…? That’s what led… to all of this?”</p><p>A long, awkward silence settled in. But Amamiya probably figured he owed Goro his honesty; he closed his eyes and eventually nodded.</p><p>“I’ve loved you since the moment we met… but my idea to—to stay with you forever came only after you gave it to me. So… I guess.”</p><p>He shook his head then, adding in a hurry, as if to divert from this embarrassing truth, “But it’s all right now. I’ve come to my senses.”</p><p>Goro didn’t reply. Without further ado, he grabbed the glove off Amamiya’s hand – and tossed it directly into the fire pit, his expression unreadable.</p><p>Another long uncomfortable pause snailed by before Amamiya broke free from his contemplation of the fire and spoke again.</p><p>“…Thanks for earlier. If you hadn’t been there, I wouldn’t have made it,” he said somewhat blankly, then lifted his eyes at Goro again. “You look terrible, though… Let me check that burn on your face—”</p><p>“No!” Goro cried out, so suddenly Amamiya jumped. “I’ll handle myself just fine on my own. Just—just go away. Leave me alone.”</p><p>“At least let me call an ambulance and stay with you until—”</p><p>“Just go!”</p><p>The feral snarl upon Goro’s face had returned, reminiscent of a dog ready to defend itself fiercely until it succumbed or killed. Amamiya jerked back his hand like he had been stung by a wasp; he peered at Goro through a stunned gaze, until it shifted into one of hurt as he averted it. The next moment, he stood up and paced away, throwing Goro one last glance over his shoulder before hastening on.</p><p>Goro observed him intently until Amamiya disappeared around the far corner, his gaze fixed there for several long minutes before he looked straight ahead again through a dimming gaze. He was freezing cold, the light material of Shujin’s tracksuit offering only a feeble protection against November’s coldness and the warmth of the fire pit not strong enough to reach him; every part of him hurt, his ribs especially which he still clamped tight, as well as his face and palms which seemed perpetually assaulted by a stinging heat: a quick look at his hands was enough to make his stomach churn. What’s more, he had no longer Amamiya’s phone to call for help: it seemed Amamiya had retrieved it while he was still stunned from the blast.</p><p>Goro blinked and let himself slide back onto the pavement, the last of his energy finally consumed to its very final drop. He was exhausted like never before, taxed both mentally and physically, the most feeble of movements punished by a crack of agonizing pain. His eyelids were inexorably fluttering close, no matter how much he struggled to keep them open – he knew he was fighting a losing battle. When at last, he lost consciousness, he might have appeared almost peaceful, but the deep crease to his brow soon told otherwise.<br/><br/><br/><br/></p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>It’s nearly 4 am and I’m so sleepy I’m misspelling almost every single word here but I really wanted to update… I mean, it’s been a little while now since the last one! The last 3500 words were written in that one single night while I was sleep-deprived so excuse any typo… I’ll correct it all tomorrow when I reread……… 😴😴😴</p><p>For those of you who might not know, I’ve recently applied to a Canadian university and am actually in the process of moving there and it’s a very stressful period because it’s filled with so many uncertainties… I’m hoping I’ll get my permit soon so that I can finally move but the stress of waiting for so long without any news is getting to me ahhh. In the meantime, I’m taking my courses online, which eats up a bit of my time especially lately because I’ve been doing many assignments and essays ;_; That’s why this chapter was late… I apologize!! I made it longer than I originally intended to make up for the long delay, so I hope you enjoyed it! I’ll get to work on Cherry Bomb’s next chapter first thing in the morning tomorrow after I'm done checking out this chapter for mistakes………😴</p><p>Also, about the chapter above… Can you say mad angst ah? I felt sad writing the last part ;_; Shadow Joker's eight legs were meant to represent a spider and how it ensnared Goro. The end is actually around the corner now. Please stay…… tuned…………😴😴😴</p>
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<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Epilogue - EXILE</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“No, he thankfully didn’t suffer any life-threatening injuries, but his recovery will be a long one. It’ll take already up to six weeks for his ribs to fully heal. As for his skin, I expect it’ll be scarred—his face especially. I’ve rarely seen such a severe burn.”</p><p>“What about those heavy bruises on his wrists, though? Where did they come from?”</p><p>“I can think of several reasons for them… but none are remotely good. Even his ankles are the same, which is extremely worrying.”</p><p>“For heaven’s sake, just what in the world happened to him…?”</p><p>Fragments of voices sneaked their way into Goro’s senses, rumbling a very feeble vibration that managed ever so slightly to disturb the glass-smooth surface of his mind. It wasn’t their meaning that did so – it was entirely lost on him – but the sound they produced: because it was familiar.</p><p>One of those voices… He recognized it.</p><p>This deep and poised tone, usually strict but today free of harshness, ringing only with concern… He knew who it belonged to.</p><p>“Sae-san,” came the name out of his mouth unbidden as Goro fluttered his eyes open.</p><p>“Akechi-kun!” she cried out in utter shock, lurching over him. “You’re awake!”</p><p>“Easy now, Niijima-san,” said who could only be a nurse before she leaned over Goro as well. “Good morning, Akechi-kun. How are you feeling?”</p><p>Goro glanced around, taking the time to get his bearings. One mere glance was more than enough to inform him he was in a hospital room, tucked underneath a heavy blanket. The air was thick with the smell of antiseptic, bordering into unpleasant. He didn’t need to think long as to what he was doing here, which he considered a good thing: if his brain put two and two together so fast, then it was probably functioning well enough.</p><p>“I’m—urgh!” he let out as he attempted to sit up, a sharp pain jolting within his chest and drowning out the ‘I’m fine’ he was about to say. </p><p>“Don’t move,” the nurse commanded, forcing him down again. “You’ll jostle your fractures.”</p><p>Face screwed up in pain, Goro instinctively clutched his ribs, trying to remember a single instance in which he felt worse, only to find none. It wasn’t just his bones – a dull pain was pounding across his temple, and the skin of his cheek seemed as though a very harsh fire were licking at it permanently. Goro examined his bandaged hands through a half-lidded gaze, sensing them sting beneath the gauze.</p><p>“You probably won’t be able to pick up anything without feeling pain for a long time,” the nurse said, interpreting his thoughts correctly. “The bandages need to be changed every four days, too.”</p><p>Goro didn’t reply. Perhaps it was because he was too groggy still to fully comprehend the reality of the situation, but he found he cared little about his state at the moment.</p><p>“You’ve been unconscious for three days straight,” the nurse went on, and only then did Goro feel a tiny spark of surprise in his stomach. “Physical exhaustion, no doubt… And I daresay mental as well.”</p><p>Sae-san made an odd movement then, like she wanted to speak, only to think better of it. Her gaze, focused only on Goro, was a physical reflection of what her voice had disclosed so plainly at his awakening. Goro quickly averted his own.</p><p>“How did you find me?” he asked the nurse, less out of genuine interest and more so that the conversation wouldn’t drift toward the inevitable.</p><p>“Someone called the emergency services and told us about an injured person in the vicinity of Yongenjaya Station. Had they not been there, you might have been found way too late. By the time the ambulance got to you, you were freezing cold. You should be grateful for them—I believe it was a young man around your age who made the call.”</p><p>Beneath the covers, Goro’s hands tightened.</p><p>“Right, I’ll get more painkillers,” the nurse said, turning to leave. “Niijima-san, you shouldn’t linger too long. Akechi-kun needs all the rest he can get.”</p><p>“I’m aware,” Sae-san replied, although she didn’t budge from her seat at all. When the door closed behind the nurse, the atmosphere grew strangely tense.</p><p>“Are you all right?” she asked, her voice very much unlike herself.</p><p>“…More or less,” Goro replied, wishing she would leave him alone. A long silence went by before she asked the one question he had wanted to avoid.</p><p>“Akechi-kun… What happened to you?” she wondered, and pressed on at his lack of response. “You were unreachable for so long that I began to worry—it’s unlike you not to call back when I leave you messages—and then you turn up days later, heavily injured and weakened… And I’m still clueless as to what your phone was doing in the debris of that warehouse when you were found in Yongenjaya…”</p><p>“My phone… in the debris of that warehouse?” Goro echoed, initially set on steering this dangerous conversation elsewhere, only to forget all about it at once. By way of answer, Sae-san produced his phone, which looked miraculously pristine.</p><p>“A warehouse in the outskirts of Tokyo was engulfed in flames three days ago,” she said, leaving his phone on the table by his side. “It took four hours before the firefighters extinguished the fire, but a large portion of the warehouse was destroyed.”</p><p>“Is that so…” Goro muttered more or less to himself, hoping to convey he wasn’t in the mood to talk. But Sae-san either didn’t notice – or just didn’t care.</p><p>“Answer me, Akechi-kun. What was your phone doing there? Did you have anything to do with that fire?” she asked, leaning closer, her gaze serious and intent. “Who else was with you?”</p><p>“What… do you mean?” Goro responded, throwing her a wary glance.</p><p>“Your head was already bandaged when you were found. Unless you did it yourself?”</p><p>Goro’s face hardened: he hated her inquisitive tone when aimed at him, the one that gave him the impression he was being interrogated. However, she wasn’t addressing him like she did the convict and criminal, that much was obvious.</p><p>She was speaking to him like a worried sick mother to her own child.</p><p>“Please tell me what happened, Akechi-kun… Were you… You know…”</p><p>It was like she couldn’t bring herself to say it; as though speaking it aloud would confirm her fears. Goro’s unwavering stare was fixed onto her. A tiny part of him deep down thought that whatever gruesome scenarios her mind was conjuring up, he might have rather gone through them a dozen times instead of what he had experienced himself.</p><p>“Of course not, Sae-san,” he said firmly, with a dismissive shake of his head to drive his point across further. “I’m fine, really… Nothing serious happened, I just, ah, hurt myself—”</p><p>“But your wrists and ankles are bruised!” she snapped back, clearly outraged he would be so nonchalant in those circumstances. “This is not something you can brush off so easily!”</p><p>“I’m telling you,” Goro retorted in pretty much the same tone, starting to lose patience, “everything’s fine, I was just too careless. Please drop it already—”</p><p>“What are you still doing here, Niijima-san?” came the nurse’s disapproving voice as she peered into the room, drowning out Sae-san’s incoming protests. “I thought I told you Akechi-kun needed his rest? I’m going to ask you to leave.”</p><p>Sae-san didn’t oblige serenely. She seemed torn between blowing up or simply ignoring the nurse. Opting for a middle ground, she leapt to her feet, grabbed her bag and stomped out of the room without so much as a glance behind her, slamming the door shut for good measure. The nurse sighed and left a tray by Goro’s side, carrying a pill and a glass of water.</p><p>“Take it if you feel the pain becomes unbearable. I’ll come check up on you later, all right? I’ll turn off the lights now… Get some rest.”</p><p>But no sooner did she leave the room again than Goro retrieved his cell phone, his heart squirming at the numerous messages and missed calls showing on the screen. Many of them were from Sae-san, but the caller who attempted to contact him the most was someone else entirely.</p><p>Goro was about to dial their number when he noticed it.</p><p>One of the messages on his voicemail had been sent only yesterday. From Amamiya’s cell phone.</p><p>Goro’s first reaction was to delete it immediately.</p><p>Just as his finger grazed the screen, he found he wanted to listen to it instead.</p><p>…The moment the message stopped, Goro looked up into the far distance, silent and motionless for several long seconds, before he finally brought himself back to the current present.</p><p>It took three rings before they picked up.</p><p>
  <em> “About damn time. Where on Earth have you been? I’ve been trying to reach you for days.” </em>
</p><p>“I’ll explain in a moment, Shido-san… But first, I need to tell you something. As far as the Phantom Thieves operation is concerned… A change of plans is in order.”<br/>
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Nearly one month went by since Goro was admitted to the hospital. Yesterday had been the day he was released.</p><p>His ribs were still hurting at the slightest movement, but not so much he would hug himself in agony. Gritting his teeth was usually enough to endure the pain.</p><p>His life had gone back to its normal routine – that is, as normal as his life could be. His classmates had gasped at his sudden reappearance, the media had rejoiced and right off the bat attempted to drag him into new talk shows and interviews, and many passersby in the street stopped him to shake his hand or take pictures with him in celebration of his return. Everyone seemed to have chalked his absence to some severe cold, and Goro did nothing to straighten the facts. The occasional wild theory, probably fueled by his bandaged face (he never went outside without his gloves anymore) did crop up on the message boards from time to time but no one took it seriously, much to his relief. Even Sae-san, who had greeted him with relative coolness upon his return, didn’t appear to have blabbered to anyone about her suspicions, for which he was grateful. At any rate, he did notice how much she seemed to have softened when it came to her cases – a change the cause of which he hadn’t taken long to figure out.<br/>
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<em> “Hey, Akechi… Amamiya here. Hope you’re doing all right and recovering. Sorry for again not respecting your wishes, but I just couldn’t leave you there… So I called an ambulance. You looked in pretty bad shape, but I’m ready to bet you’ll pull through. I’m not sure why I’m leaving you this message, to be honest. Your phone obviously wasn’t lost in the fire, given that I was able to reach your voicemail, but who knows if you’ll ever retrieve it. I guess I’m sort of hoping you won’t, so that you don’t have to hear this message. I mean, it’s pretty embarrassing, after everything that happened… But somehow, I feel I have to do this—I feel I owe you this message. So even if you never hear it, at least leaving it on your voicemail will get it off my conscience.” </em> <em><br/>
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</em> Today had started with some light rain, Goro recalled. Winter had settled for good, blowing a chill mist over Tokyo and forcing people in the warmth of their homes. Only one thing motivated the population enough to get in the streets: the imminent election. It was on everyone’s lips, spoken with an enthusiasm unlike anything Japan ever witnessed before. Even the media took notice of the wave of unanimous involvement befalling the country across all the generations, which was a recurring topic in the daily news and a great source for debates.<br/>
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<em> “Things were kind of tricky after you left for the hospital. First of all, Sakura-san returned from his trip, much to Futaba’s delight. Morgana was also very glad to come back to the attic… Guess he missed it a lot. I also had to apologize to Iwai-san for what happened to his warehouse—not that I told him what really happened, of course. I’m not sure if he believed the excuse I gave him, but he didn’t ask too many questions, so there’s that.” </em> <em><br/>
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</em> Shido, of course, was becoming more and more antsy as election day drew near: his honeyed expressions of gratitude in one phone call walked hand-in-hand with the flow of unpleasantries he barked into the next. It was almost like two people were living in one: the radiant Prime Minister to be, and the formidable tyrant backstage. None of Shido’s subordinates felt too at ease with this unpredictable bomb that could set off at the one wrong word, and Goro was no different. Where Shido had always been cordial with him, he was now impatient, quite snappy. Goro supposed he might be at fault there: Shido hadn’t taken kindly to being told that the Phantom Thieves were aware of the plan to get rid of their leader, nor had he been impressed with Goro having to stay at a hospital for an extended period of time. Goro had pretended his disappearance was caused by multiple trips to the other world, the last of which culminating in his injuries, but while Shido appeared to have believed him, it was quite obvious Goro had lost a rank or two in his esteem.<br/>
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<em> “As for me… Not gonna lie, I feel completely drained. Exactly like what our targets felt after we changed their hearts… Guess that’s the connection. I’m not blaming you though, don’t worry, and I don’t resent you either… In fact, I promise I’ll stay away from your life from now on. You remember how I’m on probation? Well, I talked to my parents about it… I told them I wanted to go back home. Sakura-san gave me a hand when he found out, he said to the authorities I was working very hard and overall had perfect conduct, and it’d be great if they accepted to shorten my probation period. They said they heard his arguments but couldn’t do anything so long as the guy who sued me didn’t back down… Sakura-san asked them to check, and guess what? The guy really did change his mind in the end, so I was able to leave Tokyo and return home without a hitch.” </em> <em><br/>
</em> <em><br/>
</em> <em><br/>
</em> While uncomfortable with the notion of letting a loose end hang freely, Shido had eventually caved in to Goro’s arguments, acknowledging that there was no point in chasing down an enemy who willingly removed themselves from the battlefield without any desire to return. As such, Shido had no choice but to let go of the plan to pretend the leader of the Phantom Thieves committed suicide, but that didn’t mean he was happy about it. In fact, his annoyance had persisted for days.<br/>
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<em> “Everyone was shocked when I told them I was leaving, of course. It was the next day after we escaped from… that place, just a couple of days before Ann’s birthday. I didn’t feel like I could bear to see them, so I just sent them a message. They tried to reason with me and begged me to stay, but I had already made up my mind. I didn’t explain to them why I left—I bet it must have looked like a betrayal to them… No wonder Ryuji was so mad at me. Of course, the topic deviated to you… But don’t worry, I got your back there. I told them I had a very long conversation with you in which I revealed we were all in on your secret. In the end, I pretended you decided to turn yourself in out of remorse and you were now in police custody for further questioning. That was the lie I was planning to eventually use to explain your disappearance… With that, they should leave you alone. I know I’m pushing my luck very hard here… But no matter what happens, please don’t kill them. They’re my friends… And I trust you. I trust you won’t do anything to them. Sorry, Akechi… You must be thinking, who the hell am I to dare ask you a favor, after everything I did to you. I don’t think I can ever apologize enough for that… And I’d never have realized it if you hadn’t brought me back to my senses. Not only that, you also saved my life, even though you could’ve left me behind and you’d have been completely justified to do that… Even though you changed my heart, my admiration for you won’t budge. You truly are an exceptional person, and I’ll be forever grateful I could walk into your life for a short while. My only regret is that I likely won’t be able to repay my debt to you… but I’ll keep hoping for that day to come. All right, Akechi, this is goodbye. Thanks, really… for opening my eyes.” </em> <em><br/>
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</em>Goro, however, shouldn’t have dismissed Shido’s concerns about the rest of the Thieves. He shouldn’t have assured so boldly they were nothing but helpless cattle without their leader, about as harmful as newborn kittens.</p><p>If he had taken Shido’s concerns seriously, he might have avoided this entire mess.</p><p>If he had attempted to stop them one month ago, his injuries be damned, he might have avoided standing on the edge of death himself today.<br/>
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Yes, the Phantom Thieves had been shocked out of their wits as he ambushed them in the engine room of Shido’s Palace, descending upon them like a bird of prey – Okumura had even clasped her mouth, muttering something close to “But Ren said.” Nonetheless, their surprise hadn’t taken long to morph into great dislike, which his own face mirrored to the smallest twisted wrinkle. He truly had believed the Phantom Thieves would disband after Amamiya was gone and Sae-san’s heart changed, but it turned out he had been mistaken… Far from disbanding, they had doubled down on their endeavors instead, this time intending to take on Shido personally. From what Goro gathered, they managed to connect the dots when Sakura dug up Shido’s name in the data she stole from his cell phone… Goro had underestimated them, he had to admit. And yet, even as seven glares burned into him, even as they had proved their worth and then some, they all looked strangely diminished, like something was missing.</p><p>Goro had asked in hostile jest how come Niijima of all people had been so surprised by his appearance: surely her sister would have told her he was in the hospital this entire time, rather than in police custody? Her hesitation had wrenched a laugh out of him, a cold and cruel snicker, which was all it took to set off Sakamoto, who called his Persona’s name, and everyone followed suit – Goro included, eager to end this once and for all.</p><p>…In the end, his desire to do so wasn’t enough to do the trick.</p><p>Even when words were thrown at each other, even when his dislike grew to pure loathing, even when each of his swings became more desperate, even when he laid bare the truth of who he was and his desire to surpass them all rather than caring about Shido anymore… their combined efforts had gotten the better of him. He simply wasn’t strong enough to take them down when they fought together. He was a graceful loser, though: he wouldn’t have been caught dead kicking and screaming. The Phantom Thieves had won, and he had lost. There was nothing more to it.</p><p>Perhaps it was Amamiya’s request that pushed him to sacrifice himself for their sake in the end. Goro didn’t know, and he couldn’t pretend he cared. There was no point anymore.</p><p>“Ah… That was a good shot, I’ll admit. Although I suggest you aim for the head next time…”</p><p>The cognitive version of himself spoke calmly, but his features were difformed in a hatred so corrosive there was barely anything human about them anymore: he looked closer to a literal monster, a face that branded itself into Goro’s retinas. A slow drop of sweat rolled down his forehead, and while Goro’s glare never subsided, his Adam's apple did betray him.</p><p>“…Your weapon is empty, isn’t it,” the double said, his face suddenly an eerie, empty canvas once more. “What a shame this is… But I suppose this is how things are. Now let me show you what a truly efficient shot looks like.”</p><p>The click of his own gun sounded like a deafening scream to Goro’s ears.</p><p>Admitting defeat, he closed his eyes, waiting for the fatal heat to pierce his brain and knock him off his feet… And when the gunshot went off, his heart gave a huge bound, the final sign of life he would ever make.<br/>
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…After one, two, three seconds ticked by, Goro cracked one eye open – before they flew round and wide.</p><p>Before him stood the double’s corpse, still on his two feet, but a corpse all the same: the bloodstain expanding on the side of his head told no lies. His eyes and mouth were wide open, translating his astonished shock, until he simply collapsed in a crumpled heap. Goro, stunned like never before, didn’t notice his own legs giving in as he slipped onto the ground, staring at the body like he was in a trance.</p><p>“Phew… That sure was close.”<br/>
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Goro jumped about a foot in the air.<br/>
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The clicking of heels bounced off the walls, rippling the otherwise dead silence.</p><p>Eyes wide, lips parted, Goro looked up. A silhouette appeared in the near distance, bathed in the bright red lights of the sirens.</p><p>Goro saw their mouth curve into a little smirk. A smirk he had witnessed many times before in the other world, usually after they pulled off a remarkable move.</p><p>“Joker…?”</p><p>By way of answer, the figure stepped forward.</p><p>Goro stared in amazement for what felt like hours. His features then shifted into a frown as realization sank in – he had managed to escape death by the skin of his teeth, and he apparently had <em> him </em>to thank for that.</p><p>He would be lying if he said he didn’t feel a tiny bit grateful.</p><p><br/>
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  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Oh hell yeah!! Another fic I can finally tick off as “Complete!” It feels so good to check that box I swear HNNNGH</p><p>First of all, I wanted to apologize for the numerous delays between the chapters. I mentioned this in Cherry Bomb’s last author notes, but I finally moved to Canada last week, and everything leading to that moment have been very hectic for the past few months. I’m slowly starting to settle and getting used to my new life and I won’t lie, it’s quite the big adventure in all the senses of the word! At any rate, that’s why I’ve been so busy recently irl and why the chapters came at irregular times. Thanks so much for your patience as always, both for Lovesick and my other fics!! I have literally the best readers hnghhhhh</p><p>Okay, about this chapter… It’s probably one of the most unusual things I’ve written. I’ve never written a chapter quite like this one before, where most of the action already happened and you the reader are left with only the aftermath. This whole fic in fact has been completely out of my comfort zone, and I’m sure it must have shown… But I don’t regret writing any of it one bit. This is a story I started for fun (to Goro’s expense lol oops), but didn’t truly plan and think ahead until after the first chapter was done, and it was a REAL challenge to figure out. I didn’t want the fic to end with Goro falling for Joker, because I absolutely refused to romanticize this monstrous relationship they have in the fic. In a way, it would have been as though I gave my blessings to real-life stalkers, which is the last thing I wanted to do. I mean, even I was scared at times with how Joker was acting, which is saying a lot since I’m the one who wrote him this way lol… But my point is, this was never meant to be a cute love story or worse, promote Stockholm Syndrome. This was a dark fic all along, I daresay a horror fic even, meant to disturb and create suspense. </p><p>In the end, Goro could only count on himself to save himself rather than rely on someone else like Sae (whose involvement was a red herring), but then… the ending happens. It’s true I didn’t want the fic to have a twisted happily ever after vibe, but I didn’t want to end it on a soul-crushing note either. I know open endings are kind of a mixed bag, and I personally don’t like them myself too much, but I believed this was my best option in Lovesick’s case. Now it’s up to you to figure out what happens afterwards: does Goro forgive Joker? Does he still want to see him gone? Does he attack him? And so on… By leaving this tiny glimpse of hope at the end, I was hoping to save the fic from a complete downer ending, because I feel that payoff is never good. So for those who might have been disappointed at Goro and Joker’s relationship development, congrats on making it to the end!! This hopeful note at the very end is my gift to you hehe!</p><p>For trivia’s sake… At one point, I wanted the big twist of the story to be that every chapter since chapter 1 would have happened in Joker’s Palace, rather than the real world. Goro would have assumed it was the real Joker who had captured him, but it really would have been his Shadow all along, and he would in fact be trapped in the other world since the beginning… I really thought hard about this idea and it was this close to making it to the final story, but I decided to cut it in the end because I felt it would have been too contrived and hard to justify. Eg Shadow Joker’s eyes would have been normal-looking instead of gold because he wore contacts… Yeah. It just didn’t make it for me, so I decided to stick to my initial idea which was to have Goro flee to Joker’s Palace and everything that entails. I guess it would have been a neat twist, but I was fine with dropping it. I realize it might have been a twist just for the sake of a twist, which might have felt cheap overall.</p><p>Anyway, that’s about all I wanted to say to conclude this little story. My next plan is to continue Cherry Bomb, but I also really, really, REALLY want to start that one brand new fic I’ve been talking about for a while now, set in the Royal universe…… I’m still clueless as to what I should do, because I still have Overtime and Looking Glass to continue and I don’t want to have too many works in progress at once, especially since I just managed to finish Lovesick and starting a new fic now would mean back to square one ;_; Ahhh I don’t know… One day maybe I’ll figure it out. </p><p>Anyway, thanks for reading Lovesick, thanks for your lovely comments, and thanks so much for your support, you really have no idea just how happy and grateful it all makes me &lt;3 See you later!!</p>
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